Journalists housing project kicks off

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has cut the sod for the construction of affordable houses for journalists at Pampaso, near Nsawam in the Eastern Region.

The housing project, which is in partnership with KOANS Building Solutions, a real estate company in Ghana, involves the initial building of 100 affordable houses for GJA members.

The project dubbed, ‘GJA Media Village Project,’ is to resolve the accommodation challenges facing journalists.

The first 100 houses are expected to be built within one year.

After the sod cutting ceremony, a two-bedroom house would go for GH¢60,000 while a three-bedroom house would go for GH¢80,000.00.

Speaking at the sod cutting ceremony, Dr Doris Yaa Dartey, the Chairperson of the Media Village Project Committee, disclosed that the housing project is to encourage journalists to own houses after retirement.

According to her, his outfit has managed to put together mortgage facilities for members of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), who want affordable houses but do not have cash to pay.

She said, “So far, 38 members have registered and paid GH¢1,000 as registration fees, another nine members have paid various amounts of money as deposits for the houses, leaving 52 spots for other journalists to come on board.”



Roland Affail Monney, President of the GJA, said most journalists in Ghana receive low remunerations and so GJA had negotiated for flexible terms of payment for journalists to acquire houses.

He said the association shall continue to explore opportunities to provide similar housing projects for other members in other regions as well.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Koans Group of Companies, Kofi Anokye, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Koans Corporate Village is the company’s new approach to meeting the housing needs of the middle class Ghanaians.



“Many income-earners are eager to own houses; they face challenges in developing their lands before retirement and in most cases lost them after litigation.

He disclosed that the visionary GJA President and his team collaborated with the company, which led to the Koans Media Village, which is the first of its kind in Africa.