Washington Chimuzu, chief executive of Eris Properties, said greater collaboration between government and developers would be necessary if Malawi is to meet its affordable housing objectives.
The intervention comes as the government embarks on an ambitious plan to build 135,000 modern homes by 2031 under a K8.1tn strategic framework, while acknowledging that implementation will depend heavily on available financing and broader fiscal conditions.
“There is room for the private sector and government to work together to achieve the goal,” Chimuzu said, arguing that private developers could play a significant role in helping bridge Malawi’s housing deficit.
The comments highlight what may prove to be the central challenge facing the government’s housing agenda: financing.
While the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has placed housing at the centre of its 2026-31 strategic plan, ministers have made clear that delivery will depend on government resources, donor support and the mobilisation of private capital through public-private partnerships.
The strategy allocates K7.64tn, equivalent to almost 94 per cent of planned expenditure, to housing delivery and management.
The remaining funding is earmarked for land governance, surveying, physical planning, urban development and digital land information systems.
Lands minister Chimwemwe Chipungu said the programme had been designed in response to rapid urbanisation, population growth and growing demand for housing and infrastructure.
The government is seeking to reduce a key housing-related indicator from 46 per cent to 10 per cent by the end of the implementation period.
Yet despite the programme’s scale, Chipungu conceded that public resources alone would be insufficient to address the country’s housing needs.
“Housing challenges cannot be solved by government alone,” he said, calling for stronger participation from developers, financial institutions, development partners, professional bodies, local authorities and communities.
For policymakers, the strategy represents a test of whether Malawi can attract long-term investment into housing at a time when public finances remain under pressure.
Although the government’s commitment is substantial, expenditure will be guided by fiscal space and approved national budgets, underscoring the extent to which delivery remains contingent on financing.
The plan is aligned with the Malawi 2063 development agenda, which identifies urbanisation, industrialisation and agricultural commercialisation as key drivers of economic transformation.
Officials argue that expanding housing supply and strengthening land administration are essential components of that vision.
Beyond home construction, the strategy seeks to increase the number of customary estates adjudicated, demarcated and registered to 814,000 by 2031.
It also aims to raise the number of idle estates inspected and assessed from 3,472 to 7,900.
While the targets are ambitious, the success of the programme is likely to hinge on the government’s ability to crowd in private investment and unlock additional sources of capital.
In that respect, the housing strategy is as much a financing challenge as it is a construction programme.
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