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Less than six months after the Accra Metropolitan Assembly began naming streets in the Roman Ridge and Airport residential areas after some prominent personalities including former first ladies; the galvanized anti-rust poles bearing the names of certain former first ladies have all suddenly disappear save, one.

The disappearance of these names, The aL-hAJJ’s investigation has uncovered, follows decision by AMA to revert the street names to their “original names”, leaving the former first ladies with no streets name after them except, wife of the late General Ankrah, Madam Mildred Ankrah.

This comes after recent announcement by Mayor of Accra, Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije that, AMA has assigned names to 4,286 streets in the metropolis under the government sponsored street-naming and property-addressing project.

The aL-hAJJ has discovered that until last month, some streets in the Roman Ridge and Airport Residential areas bore names of Fathia Nkrumah, wife of Ghana’s first president Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah; Madam Mildred Ankrah, wife of the 2nd Head of State of Ghana, Lt.

General Joseph Arthur Ankrah; Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, wife of Ghana’s longest serving Head of State, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, and wife of late President John Fiifi Atta Mills, Madam Naadu Mills, all former first ladies.

However, when this paper toured the two prime areas in the Accra metropolis yesterday; with the exception of a street bearing the name of Madam Mildred Ankrah, all the streets the AMA had named after the former first ladies have been changed.

An obscure street at Roman Ridge named after wife of former President Rawlings, Nana Konadu, had been changed to Yooyi Lane, Fathia Street had been changed to South and North Ridge Streets whiles, Ridge Road replaced Naadu Mills Street among several others, leaving Mildred Ankrah Crescent unchanged.

The names of Christine Afrifa, Madam Naa Morkor Busia; Emily Akufo also known as Ama Oduruwa and Hajia Fulera Liman were conspicuously missing.

Confirming the name changes to The aL-hAJ, Public Relations Officer of AMA, Nuumo Blafo, said “all the streets in that area that was named after the former first ladies have been reverted to their original names.”

Asked what accounted for the change of names, Nuumo Blafo bluntly said “I don’t know. I didn’t ask those in charge.”

President John Dramani Mahama in March 2013 directed the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development to ensure that all streets nationwide were named within 18 months.

The President gave the directive while launching the National Urban Policy Framework and Action Plan.

State officials say, the street naming exercise, when completed, will provide a platform for proper identification of all physical structures around the country and enhance revenue mobilization and collection.

It will also facilitate development in various local assemblies and create the necessary platform for effective accountability.
Some MMDAs have since announced a completion of the street-naming and project-addressing project.