The Ongos Valley Development says it has so far invested N$900 million to date as part of its housing project’s first phase in Windhoek.It expects to hand over 400 housing units to residents by June 2023.
The investment made to date according to the development company, includes bulk services and internal reticulation, internal roads, a reservoir, and a wastewater treatment plant, where approximately N$500 million contributed by the Development Bank of Namibia was invested.
“We are concluding with the City of Windhoek to allow it to takeover, as we have got the infrastructure that we built and now we are just finalising the agreements, so people can move in in about 8 weeks, before we can have people physically move in, this is the timeline we have been given, so by end of June, i expect that the first people will move in,” Ongos Valley Group Reagan Graig told The Brief.
According to the company chair, this amounts to 10% of phase 1, which will include the introduction of over 4,500 housing units and related infrastructure valued at N$4.3 billion.
“Ongos Valley is an infrastructure expert and provides solutions, we don’t just build infrastructure, we look at the financial solutions until we deliver. We will always need to build infrastructure and large-scale services in order to build affordable homes for people to live in dignity on the space we have created. It is an ongoing project and not a destination until the day that most of our people are housed and that’s a big task,” he said.
The Chairperson said the project is enormous and Ongos is making great progress as they are generating about 14,000 job opportunities in total.
“The need for housing is great, and the housing backlog is decreasing. I’m really pleased that one of the key messages we believe as stakeholders is that our project involves many different parties, especially when those parties work together as we do now. These parties include our leaders, the municipality, helpful financiers, and the communities in which we are active,” he added.
This comes as the Peter Nanyemba road, previously known as the Monte Christo road is currently being upgraded into a dual carriageway to the tune of around N$381 million.
The upgrade is being done under the Ongos Valley Development.
“This upgrade will not only provide better access to Ongos Valley and avoid congestion on the road but more importantly, promote socio-economic development for its community members,” Graig said at the road ground breaking ceremony last week Friday.
Ongos aims to be a green village self-contained area with schools, hospitals, police stations and a cemetery, among other services.
Ongos Valley is situated on a portion of Farm Ongos, 13 kilometres from Windhoek’s CBD, and measures 1,750 hectares.
The project will be completed over five phases, with the first phase erecting the 4,500 housing units.