I was recently hired to design a website for the JoeTex Group, a primarily mango-farming outfit based in Somanya. The proprietor, Joe Tetteh, is a large-scale landowner who engages in different types of businesses, including real estate and car sales. So I’ve also been tasked with helping him move some of those products and services.
In doing so, I decided it’d be a good idea to post some adverts on Jiji. Jiji is the premiere classifieds’ site in Ghana. I became a registered user a few years back. They would regularly send me emails, including touting how I could use their site to ‘make money’ through selling.
When I registered with Jiji, it was primarily in the name of being able to send direct messages to certain vendors. I may have posted an ad before but can’t remember exactly. However, I did decide to post some more recently on behalf of JoeTex. I wanted to create individual Jiji ads for each of the cars he’s currently selling. The presumption is that if you post on Jiji, people (in Ghana especially) will see it.
I was also under the assumption that posting the ad would be free. But unfortunately, I found out that’s no longer the case.
I AIN’T MAD @ JIJI
What disappointed me about my recent Jiji experience is that it wasn’t until I got to the very end of composing the post that it became evident I would have to pay (a pretty penny) to get it published. Meanwhile, funds have not been set aside for that purpose. So I opted not to do so for now though maybe will in the future.
In defense of my ignorance, a customer service rep from Jiji told me that it wasn’t until about two years ago that they began charging to post car adverts. Meanwhile, I haven’t really been using their site for the past couple of years. So it used to be free but no longer is. And I would presume there’s other types of ads they now charging for also.
So I ain’t mad at Jiji. I always wondered how a free classifieds’ site as large as theirs generated its operating costs. I imagined that it would be through premium ads. Well now, entire classifications of basic adverts have become premium.
What I am sorta cheesed off about though is how I spent 30 minutes putting a post together before realizing I had to pay. An increasing number of seemingly-free platforms operate like that these days. They’ll give you the impression that there’s no cost, until the very end, after you’ve spent considerable time and energy filling out forms. That made me even more reluctant to pay them what they’re asking for.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO GHANAWEB (CLASSIFIEDS)?
Back in the days, circa the early aughts, Ghanaweb had Ghana’s online-classifieds’ marketplace on lock. Not only that, but it was hella comprehensive. Not only did Ghanaweb have sections dedicated to conventional classifieds, like electronics, cars and real estate. But they also had an effective dating section, and the platform was so liberal that people could even post ads seeking help or lost contacts.
Then, beginning about a decade ago, first went their general classifieds. Then the dating section became obsolete. And now, even the job postings have been terminated. So Ghanaweb has basically degenerated (so to speak) to solely a news and politics’ site.
Ghanaweb ceasing its classifieds has been very disappointing. Every now and then, I go to the site and check, just in case. I don’t know why they’ve terminated it. But the point being made here is that there needs to be at least one widely-patronized, free classifieds’ site for Ghana.
TONATON → JIJI
There’s another well-known “free classifieds” platform active in GH known as Tonaton. If I remember correctly, Tonaton made a name for itself before Jiji burst on the scene. But since then, the latter has eclipsed the former.
In fact if you were to go to Tonaton right now and click the “Sell” button, i.e. the option to post an ad, the site will redirect you to… Jiji. So after being disappointed by Jiji, Ghanaweb and then Tonaton, instead of resorting to a lesser known platform, I decided some self-sufficient action needed to be made. It was time to once again attempt to setup a viable classified’ section on GHfind itself.
PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT GHFIND CLASSIFIEDS
Back during the earlier days of GHfind, I once had a classifieds’ section active. That was before I moved the site over to WordPress, and I was using a software called Osclass for the classifieds. It was pretty labor intensive, a lot of data entry and code modification. But the finished product came out pretty dope.
After a brief while, something happened with Osclass’ source code whereas all of a sudden the stylistic changes I painstakingly made were lost for good. I don’t know what exactly transpired, but the whole experience left a bad taste in my mouth and made me reluctant to ever use classified software hosted by cPanel again.
Since migrating to WordPress, I’ve made a couple of attempts to setup classifieds for GHfind. Most of the plugins that offer such functions more or less require designing a whole new site (i.e. using a specific theme), besides learning the software itself.
On the surface, WordPress makes website design easier than old school WYSIWYG programs. Some of WordPress’s plugins are easy to use. But with others, you have to dedicate days, weeks or longer into mastering. For instance, I spent a frustrating month dabbling with uListing, an advanced classifieds’ plugin, before realizing it would need my undivided attention over an extended period before functioning.
For now, I’m relying largely a relatively-simple classifieds’ plugin called WPAdverts. The caveat is that its free version has a plethora of basic limitations. Its paid extensions, which I may purchase later, appear as if they will mitigate some of those issues.
That said, I’m proud to announce that currently, GHfind once again has a working classifieds’ section. And when you decide to publish an advert, the word processing options are relatively advanced, as opposed to the plain text most most classifieds’ sites use. In the meantime, I’ll also be experimenting with some of the more-complicated classifieds’ plugins, in anticipation of upping the game in the near future.
CONCLUSION
I envision a day when GHfind classifieds’ section will be just as ubiquitous as Jiji and as diverse as Ghanaweb’s once was. It’s funny how, after giving up on this ambition for years, it’s frustration with other sites which re-invigorated me to once again take up the mantle. The success of this initiative will depend on how many people patronize it. I’m hoping that this is something we can all ultimately benefit from.
P.S. – REGISTRATION DETAILS
Now, there is a “Sign In” option present on GHfind’s main menu. Currently, it serves the purpose of signing into the classifieds’ section, maintaining a terse profile and nothing more.
The username that you register an account with cannot be changed.
Upon registration, users will be required to submit an email address. As it currently stands, that email address will not be verified. However, I strongly recommend that registrants use their actual email addresses, in case of future issues with their account.
Last edited on 3 January 2025
