GJA signs MOU with KOANS Estate to build houses for journalists The Ghana Journalists Association, (GJA), and KOANS Estate, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin the construction of houses for Journalists. The Media Village Project, (MVP), as it is called, is targeted at building one hundred two bedroom housing units for journalists per year. This move follows an earlier announcement made by President of GJA, Roland Affail Monney of a housing scheme for Journalists in the country. The GJA explained that, the MVP, is a welfare and legacy housing project for journalists, and seek to encourage and nurture journalists to own their own houses as middle income earners. The site chosen for the project is at Pampaso, near Nsawam in the Eastern Region. The first unit of 100 houses that was expected to be built within one year period after a sod-cutting is done in a few days’ time and would go for GH¢60,000.00 for a two-room outhouse and GH¢80,000.00 for a three-room out house on a 70 by 100 feet land size located at Pampaso Hill near Nsawam in the Eastern Region. The GJA said arrangement had been made for interested buyers to pay 50 per cent of the cost of the unit at the onset while the remaining 50 per cent shall be paid by instalments until full payment is completed one year from the date the first payment. Journalists interested in the MVP could pick a registration and documentation form at GH¢1, 000.00, from the Press Centre, which would be used for providing indentures and other incidentals and general cost of managing the project. At the signing ceremony at the International Press Centre in Accra, President of the GJA, Roland Afail Monney, and Chairperson of the Media Village Committee, Doris Yaa Dartey, signed on behalf of the GJA, while, Chief Executive Officer of Koans Group of Companies, Kofi Anokye initialled for his company. Mr. Monney said by the initiation of the Media Village Project, the GJA, is taking a major step to address one of the critical housing challenges in the country. He said most journalists in Ghana are poorly paid and so the GJA is negotiating flexible terms of payment for them to be able to acquire a house of their own. He said the Association shall continue to explore opportunities to provide similar housing projects for other members in the regions as well. Ms. Dartey, who chairs the five-member Media Village Committee said the members that included; an astute legal practitioner, Lawyer Osei Kwadwo Addo, are doing due diligence in the processes leading to acquiring a house at the MVP. She said with the project being a welfare initiative, the Committee members will de-emphasize a business angle and rather, emphasise a concept of “One journalist, one house” for the cluster of 100 affordable houses. “We emphasize that it is solely for the welfare of journalists”. “The key role of the Committee is to represent and protect the interests of buyers of the houses, who are the journalists”, she said, adding that the site that was strategically selected was very close to the road making it very accessible for anyone who buys and live there in a house. Ms. Dartey announced that a mortgage loan arrangement and other possibilities for those in need of the affordable houses will be facilitated by the GJA, while media houses and their staff of journalists will be encouraged to benefit from that “unique welfare initiative”. The selected site would be about five to 10 minutes-drive from the main Nsawam/Kumasi Highway and it would be a gated security entrance, Ms. Dartey added. The Committee would serve and remain in place for one year during which, it is expected that the construction of the 100 cluster of houses would have been completed and handed over to the GJA. The Chairman of the National Media Commission, Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, who assisted a Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Freda Prempeh, to launch the MVP, commended the GJA for that great initiative which will greatly help solve the accommodation issue of many journalists and ensure their welfare and wellbeing. The Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Freda Prempeh lauded KOANS Estate for this initiative and said government will establish a strong bond with them. She urged estate developers to explore modern technological ways of building to make it faster and affordable for the ordinary Ghanaian. The Deputy Minister also pledged government's commitment to partner the private sector in the housing sector The housing units for Journalists will strictly be purchased only by registered members of the Ghana Journalists Association, GJA, and each unit costs between 60,000 and 80,000 Ghana Cedis. A buyer must first register with an amount of 1,000 Ghana Cedis, which is non-refundable, and then pays 50 percent of the cost of the house, whiles the rest is spread over a period. Portion of this article was written by GBC's Jonathan Thompson GBCONLINE ---DECRYPTED---