Govt to build 3 000 low-income houses at N$137 million

The government has committed N$137 million to building low-income Namibians 3 106 houses.

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

Special adviser to the minister Boniface Mutumba has confirmed the scale of the roll-out.

“The federation is currently building 3 106 houses funded through the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development at a cost of N$137 million,” he says.

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

The 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 at Mariental, Swakopmund, Katima Mulilo, Bukalo, Usakos, Tsumeb and Otjiwarongo.

The 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.

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