Street Address System And Delivery Service: The Case Of Courier Service Operators In The Accra Metropolitan Area

ABSTRACT

One of the most spectacular changes in Ghana since the 1980‘s after World Bank and International Monetary Fund programmmes (ERP and SAP) has been the dramatic demographic shift skewed in favour of cities. With fewer than 49 percent of its people being rural, the 2010 population census indicated that the country is currently 50.9 percent urbanized. Accompanying such demographic explosion is the challenge of developing the needed infrastructural resources to deal with urban growth and pursue efficient urban development. The problem is particular worrying in situations as exhibited in Accra where development normally precedes planning, and informality has become another face of our urbanism.

Against this backdrop, systems for identifying streets, buildings, and plots (where available) have simply been unable to keep up with the pace of urbanization. As a result, 60 percent or more of the city have no visible street names or addresses of structures, and the problem is particularly acute within the poorest neighbourhoods. This creates a worrisome predicament for urban services. Makeshift solutions to these problems exist, but the delivery of courier services according to these methods is generally problematic or ineffective. Using mixed method approaches, the study reviews the role of street addressing within the array of courier services and highlights current issues and practices within Ghana and in particular, the intra-city flows within the capital. Though the process of naming and assigning numbers to streets and structures has begun, it has not covered much of the city, leaving courier operators to find innovative ways of operating.

The study further highlights the potentials and challenges confronting the practice and highlights the need for implementing street addressing initiatives. In conclusion, the study optimistically argues that the broad range of experiences resulting from practices elsewhere in similar countries, demonstrates that the district/municipal/metropolitan involvement is one key factor in guaranteeing the system‘s success and sustainability.