The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development says it has commenced construction of 113 affordable housing units as part of the Informal Settlement Upgrading Affordable Housing Pilot Project at Goreangab Extension 4 in Windhoek.
The Informal Settlement Upgrading Affordable Housing Pilot Project is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, the National Housing Enterprise (NHE), and the City of Windhoek (CoW).
The project was inaugurated in June 2020 and since its inception, it has been instrumental in providing 694 affordable houses to residents of Windhoek’s informal settlement areas.
Urban and Rural Development Deputy Minister Evelyn !Nawases-Taeyele said the success and popularity of the houses constructed under this initiative has led to a surge in demand.
She highlighted that 503 serviced plots under the Mass Urban Land Servicing Project have been earmarked for construction, including the 113 that have been launched.
“The houses built under this project have become very popular and the demand has skyrocketed which prompted the two institutions to look at their priority areas and devise measures to increase the housing stock under the project,” she said.
!Nawases-Taeyele further explained that the remaining 224 plots are in the final stages of preparation, with service installation expected to be completed by 2025. This development will pave the way for the construction of at least 400 housing units.
She added that the newly launched housing units will comprise a mix of 2-bedroom free-standing houses and 1&2-bedroom flats, catering to various income levels among beneficiaries.
“We have entrusted the construction part to the City of Windhoek and the National Housing Enterprise to continue the excellent work they have been doing for the past three years,” she said.
She also said that the construction will be carried out in three phases over twelve months, with completion scheduled for April 2025.
Beneficiaries will be selected based on the criteria of the Informal Settlement Upgrading Programme, with special consideration given to members of the armed forces and law enforcement.
“So far, there are over 400 applications from individuals who want to benefit from the project, and this identification and application process was executed transparently via an advert that was placed in most print media platforms,” she stated.
To ensure the sustainability of the project, !Nawases-Taeyele said that all proceeds from the sale of the new houses will be deposited into the Housing Revolving Fund.
The fund is currently utilised to finance houses under the Informal Settlement Upgrading Affordable Housing Pilot Project, facilitating the construction of more houses for ultra-low and low-income beneficiaries across various informal settlements.
The goal of the Informal Settlement Upgrading Affordable Housing Pilot Project, along with complementary programs such as Build Together and initiatives by organisations such as the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia and Development Workshop Namibia, is to eliminate shacks in informal settlements across the country.
