ASI Street naming on course

…as it completes 73% of work in Kumasi

By Issah Alhassan

Ashganti Regional Minister, Mr. Kofi Opoku Manu

THE WORRIES and frustrations that people, especially strangers, go through to find various destinations and locations in the Kumasi metropolis would soon come to a halt, as the naming of streets in the Ashanti Regional capital is near completion.

This follows revelations by Advance Street Identification (ASI) Code Systems Limited, the company embarking on the project, that it had completed 73% of the pilot project, whereas 13% of the entire project (nationwide) had so far been completed.

The naming of streets in Bomso, a Kumasi suburb, and particularly Adum, the commercial area of the metropolis, which was used as a test case, has been completed with maps.

Mr. Kofi Owusu Bempah, Managing Director (MD) of ASI ZIP Code Systems Limited, who disclosed this in an exclusive interview with The Ashanti File last Friday, also revealed that geo-coding of the streets and houses/plots with the Global Position System (GPS) was underway.

He listed some of the objectives of the Kumasi street naming and house numbering as producing and installing large street address maps at entries to the various townships, developing and geo-coding Zone Improvement Plan (ZIP) Code, and above all, to ensure that the project contributes significantly to revenue generation of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).

Explaining why some streets were being named after some personalities, the MD reiterated that the street-naming system had three levels, of which the first level is historical names such as Okomfo Anokye, Yaa Asantewaa, among others.

According to him, the second level was the situation whereby individual personalities who had contributed one way or the other to the development of the city, also had streets named after them.

He buttressed his point by explaining that Maxwell Road was named after Sir John Maxwell, who was the Ashanti Regional Chief Commissioner in 1924, as well as the President of Kumasi Public Health Board until 21st August, 1930.

“Harper Road at Adum was named after Sir C. Henry Harper, who was appointed as the Ashanti Regional Chief Commissioner on 4th May, 1920, and contributed to the development of the city,” he emphasized.

Commenting on the third level, the Colorado State University scholar explained that streets were being named after personalities (dead or alive), who had contributed immensely to the growth of their various communities.

He cited that the James Owusu Avenue was named after the first KMA Boss, who is now the Chief of Krapa, in the Ashanti Region, who started with the naming of streets and house numbering exercise, the establishment of the Asafo Market, and most stupendously, making Kumasi the first city to obtain street lights.

“Don’t you think that such personalities needed to be commended before they join their ancestors?” he asked.

He added that Ashanti Stool Houses such as Akwamu, Akyawkrom, Ankobeah, Pampaso amongst others had also been named after 77 areas of Adum.

Mr. Bempah stated that the ASI had achieved successes in increasing in public awareness of the usefulness of street naming and house numbering, and was excited with the results of the Kumasi pilot project, which according to him, would play a momentous role in the contribution to the draft National Policy Manual.

He was however unhappy with the increase in cost of production, and was quick to say that funding had been their major bane.

“Finding the boundaries between townships for proper street addresses, and damage of street name signage poles by vehicles, have been some of the few challenges we are encountering,” he stated.

He extolled the Vice President, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, for the major role he played in the implementation of the ZIP Code Addressing System in 1999 and 2000, when he was then the Minister of Communication, and appealed to him to continue the good course to make the implementation of the project a success.

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