The Association of Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN) says the country requires about 50,000 units to be constructed countrywide in the next 10 years to solve the current housing crisis.
According to experts, formal housing delivery is not keeping pace with the demand in the country resulting in the rapid growth of informal settlements.
“Although the figure of a backlog of 300,000 housing units has been the national consensus for quite some time now, we also know that we are chasing a moving target. Based on our internal projections including some of the waiting lists from local authorities, a more realistic estimate would be 500 000 housing units or at the very least, housing opportunities,” ALAN’s president Samuel !Oe-Amseb said.
“Thus, our position is that unless as the broader stakeholders, we are able to deliver at least 50,000 housing opportunities per year over the next ten years we will not be able to solve that housing and land delivery crisis in urban areas.”
!Oe-Amseb implored local authorities to accelerate their land provision efforts adding that they have a crucial role to play in meeting housing and land delivery demands, by virtue of being the biggest social housing landlords.
“However, this cannot happen unless there is substantive commitment from the central government to subsidise land servicing and the statutory process for land delivery are decentralised and significantly shortened,” he appealed.
!Oe-Amseb made these remarks at an ALAN indaba held at Tsumeb, where the association is holding a workshop running under the theme: “Revival of Local Government to Accelerate Quality and Acceptable Housing and Land Delivery”. This will be done under the motto of “Di hera Ora I”, which is loosely translated as “If it is Done – It Will Happen”
The workshop is strategic and seeks to devise ideas able to change and effect urgency in the direct role of local authorities and the need for significant up-scaling in public funding for ultra-low housing, as well as private sector investment in low- and middle-income homes.
“There is a need to provide support and an enabling environment to our housing provider partners and local organised communities to maximise opportunities for delivery of land and housing opportunities. We need to do this by working collaboratively with ambition and courage to create cities and towns in Namibia where access to good quality affordable housing is accessible to all,”! Oe-Amseb stated.
