Launched project expected to construct 600 affordable houses in the informal settlements
The Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, the Khomas Regional Council, the Windhoek Municipality and the National Housing Enterprise (NHE) decided to joined hands to pilot a low income, ultra-low and ultra-ultra-low income-centric housing initiative called Informal Settlements Upgrading.
“We have identified three affordable products that are: basic shelter, one and two bedroom houses and on top of that our focus is also on land ownership with is a regarded basis at the moment,” said the Minister of Urban and Rural Development Erastus Uutoni said at a groundbreaking event in Havana this week.
According to Uutoni, it is not just the urban poor that live in informal settlements, but also modest and middle-income households that are unable to access affordable housing.
“We are through this project targeting those that are doing low income jobs. Thus, the extent to which upgrading projects reaches the informal areas and what the long-term impacts are on the living conditions of the residents are some of the important ramifications,” he added.
“We are hoping to see the first batch of homes to be made available by November this year,” he added.
The City of Windhoek’s project coordinator Samuel Haraseb at the event said the project forms part of the vision of the Harambee Prosperity Plan, and seeks to address the 84,000 housing backlog in Windhoek.
Meanwhile, he said the first phase is looking at delivering 600 houses, with the first 200 to be delivered by the end of 2020, with the remaining 400 to be made available in June 2021.
Caption: Vice President, Nangolo Mbumba with other officials at launch and groundbreaking ceremony.
