Govt commits N$137m to build 3,106 houses

Construction site with a partially built concrete block house, a cement mixer, and a worker moving sand under a clear blue sky.]?

Government has committed N$137 million to build 3,106 houses for low-income Namibians.

The project, funded through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, is being implemented by the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia as part of efforts to tackle the country’s housing backlog and improve living conditions.

Special Advisor to the Minister, Boniface Mutumba, confirmed the scale of the rollout.

“The Shack Dwellers is currently constructing 3,106 houses funded through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, at a cost of N$137 million,” he said.

The intervention comes as the ministry’s allocation for the 2026/27 financial year has been cut to N$1.95 billion from N$2.67 billion previously, tightening the fiscal space for housing delivery. Of this, N$587.9 million has been set aside for housing and urban development programmes.

Despite the reduced budget, government is pushing ahead with core interventions, including the declaration of townships in informal settlements, land servicing—particularly through brownfield developments—and the construction of houses, with priority given to completing stalled units under the Mass Housing Development Programme.

The Mass Housing Programme has been delayed for years by legal disputes dating back to 2017. Authorities now say those issues are being addressed, clearing the way for projects to resume.

Focus is also shifting towards the formalisation of informal settlements in key urban centres such as Windhoek, Walvis Bay, Rundu, Keetmanshoop and Oshakati, alongside interventions in Mariental, Swakopmund, Katima Mulilo, Bukalo, Usakos, Tsumeb and Otjiwarongo.

Authorities say the strategy includes easing congestion in informal settlements, expanding access to serviced land, and scaling up partnerships with community-based organisations to accelerate delivery.

At the same time, the ministry is promoting alternative and sustainable building materials in an effort to cut construction costs and stretch limited resources further.