Monrovia – The Government of Liberia, through its Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, has entered into an agreement with SnooCODE Limited to provide Liberia with a National Postal Digital Addressing System (NPDAS).
The agreement was officialy unveiled on Monday, April 11, 2022 when the Ministry hosted a media launch to officially introduce the NPDAS Project to relevant stakeholders. The event was attended by the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Cllr Cooper Kruah Sr., who chaired the meeting, and Sesinam Dagadu, the Founder and CEO of SnooCODE. Also in attendance were Deputy Ministers, Derek Laryea, Chief Operations Officer at SnooCODE, representatives from SPV (SnooCODE local partner), the Liberian media and a host of other invited stakeholders.
According to the Minister, Cllr. Kruah, the NPDAS Project is part of major interventions to scale up Liberia’s ICT development, and the rollout of a formal addressing system in the country is a step in the right direction.
He explained that a competitive tender was announced by the Ministry in January 2021, to which about 10 interested local and foreign companies responded, with SnooCODE Limited emerging the winner in July 2021.
SnooCODE Limited is a UK-registered and Ghana-based technology company contracted to develop Liberia’s digital addressing system. This will enable anybody in Liberia to generate a memorable 5–7-digit address code unique to their location (e.g., Monrovia 499-GUA), which can be shared with trusted contacts to direct them to their exact location using any mobile phone mapping system of their choice.
“Through this project, individuals, businesses, and public services – from the Ambulance to the Post to Waste management – will be able to move about more efficiently and keep accurate records, creating a positive impact on Healthcare, Public Administration, Tourism, and Security,” Cllr Kruah said.
In his submission, the CEO of SnooCODE shared some examples of use cases that make this project a viable venture and explained that after the project’s implementation, the technology will become the foundation for the development of other digital solutions and applications to solve specific challenges within the country.
“A computer science student can develop an eCommerce application on top of SnooCODE; a fashion student will be able to easily set up an online business delivering orders to customers on time and to their doorstep with SnooCODE; and a Dumboy seller will be enabled to advertise their street stall to a larger market online,” said Mr. Dagadu.
Today, the SnooCODE app is available for free download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Mr. Dagadu explained that the app is offered worldwide for non-commercial use only and clarified that 100,000 free licenses will be provided for small businesses, NGOs, entrepreneurs, and the Press in Liberia to enable them to use SnooCODE for commercial purposes.
This means that apart from citizens generating SnooCODE addresses for their homes, small businesses like the grocery shop down the street will be able to download SnooCODE to generate their address and advertise it on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook.
The SnooCODE CEO called on the public in Monrovia to try out the app and provide feedback via www.snoocode.com/liberia. He also emphasised that other cities and towns will be announced in phases to participate in public trials.
Plans are also underway to develop a custom integrated solution for Liberia based on the SnooCODE digital addressing technology, and many Liberian companies and individuals will be given several opportunities to participate in these developments. This custom-built solution will power a wide range of industries, including Banking, eCommerce, Delivery Services, Emergency Services, Public Health, Sanitation, and Emerging Technologies like Drones.
In his final remarks, the Minister affirmed that there will be a national event in a few months to launch the project to the people of Liberia, both home and in the Diaspora.