View From Arada | Feb 01,2020
Addis Abeba’s Mayor, Adanech Abiebie, was given a tour of the headquarters of Goh Mortgage Bank as it opened its doors last Monday by Mulugeta Asmare (centre) and Gebreyesus Egata (right), president and board member, respectively. On Zimbabwe Street (off Bole Road around an area known as Japan), Goh has been on a two-year journey to house itself in this building since its inception.
The promoters of the Bank and the Mayor took turns speaking on the chronic housing shortage in Addis Abeba. Driven by inflation, the property market is soaring, compelling the city administration to freeze the increase on rent and ban the evictions of tenants for three months. Goh, which received its operating license in August, and raised a subscribed capital of 1.2 billion Br, also chipped in 1.5 million Br to the city’s housing renovation initiative for low-income families.
The Bank is the lone mortgage bank in a country where demand for housing far outstrips supply, especially as the population grows and economic migrants from rural areas make cities ever denser. While commercial banks offer short-term mortgage loans, the interest rate and repayment period are out of range for most Ethiopians. The Addis Abeba City Administration's plans to provide condominium housing have faltered in the face of delays, cost overruns and controversies.
Goh’s only competitor would have been Selam Bank, an initiative under formation but facing an uphill struggle as the deadline to raise half a billion Birr, the minimum paid-up capital requirement to open a bank, has passed. Selam now needs to raise five billion Birr to get its foot in the door and compete with Goh. It can potentially go for a merger with other banks, though none have plans to specialise in mortgage banking.
PUBLISHED ON
Oct 30,2021 [ VOL
22 , NO
1122]
View From Arada | Feb 01,2020
Featured | Jan 07,2022
Life Matters | Nov 27,2018
Fortune News | Sep 23,2023
Commentaries | Mar 19,2022
Sunday with Eden | Dec 10,2018
Sunday with Eden | Sep 06,2020
View From Arada | Apr 25,2020
Fortune News | Aug 14,2021
Agenda | Sep 24,2022
Feb 24 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
Abel Yeshitila, a real estate developer with a 12-year track record, finds himself unable to sell homes in his latest venture. Despite slash...
Feb 10 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
In his last week's address to Parliament, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) painted a picture of an economy...
Jan 7 , 2024
In the realm of international finance and diplomacy, few cities hold the distinction that Addis Abeba doe...
Sep 30 , 2023 . By AKSAH ITALO
On a chilly morning outside Ke'Geberew Market, Yeshi Chane, a 35-year-old mother cradling her seven-month-old baby, stands amidst the throng...
Apr 13 , 2024
In the hushed corridors of the legislative house on Lorenzo Te'azaz Road (Arat Kilo)...
Apr 6 , 2024
In a rather unsettling turn of events, the state-owned Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (C...
Mar 30 , 2024
Ethiopian authorities find themselves at a crossroads in the shadow of a global econo...
Mar 23 , 2024
Addis Abeba has been experiencing rapid expansion over the past two decades. While se...
Loading your updates...