In Liberia, the arbitrary naming of streets, towns, and places has become common, leading to confusion and inefficiencies. This lack of logical naming conventions disrupts navigation and poses challenges for emergency responders like police and fire services during critical situations.
According to liberianobserver.com, to ensure meaningful, consistent, and practical street names, cities nationwide must adopt naming policies that include public consultation, historical relevance, community engagement, and clear guidelines. Such measures will maintain order.
When citizens in Liberia or any country arbitrarily create and name their streets, it can significantly impact national development, including weak urban planning and infrastructure development, disorganized urban layouts, and complicated future development plans for roads, utilities, and public services.
Marshall, a picturesque oceanfront city 18 miles (30 km) southeast of Monrovia, is unplanned and unzones and the poster child of random street names in the country. Here was an opportunity for the government to showcase what an adequately planned city could look like. However, the Taylor, Sirleaf, and Weah administrations failed to implement proper zoning principles in Marshall and other emerging cities nationwide. This has obstructed the installation of essential services like water lines, electricity, and sewage systems, obstructing progressive development.
The Ministry of Public Works is responsible for zoning and urban development in Liberia, but its duties have been derelict. Except for parts of Monrovia, Harper, and Buchanan, the government’s failure to enforce zoning laws around the country has seen chaotic communities and the proliferation of marketplaces at every major road intersection, which delays emergency services (ambulances, police, fire services).
A lack of standardized systems to name streets undermines the government’s ability to enforce zoning laws, address land disputes, and manage public spaces effectively. It hinders ridesharing services such as Uber and Bolt, e-commerce, and online deliveries.
City authorities must regulate street creation and name through zoning laws and urban planning frameworks backed by the ministries of Internal Affairs (soon to be Local Government) and Public Works. However, they must conduct public awareness and engagement activities during the naming process to ensure inclusivity while adhering to national standards.
These measures will bring order to municipalities and promote Liberia’s national development by fostering efficient governance, economic growth, planned communities, and social cohesion.
