President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has taken the lead in addressing the housing crisis, personally funding two houses worth N$400 000 to showcase alternative solutions and demonstrate that decent shelter need not be out of reach for ordinary Namibians.
Nandi-Ndaitwah handed over the prefabricated houses, valued at N$200 000 each, to two beneficiaries in 8ste Laan, Otjomuise, and in Kilimanjaro, Katutura on Friday.
She said she personally sponsored the houses to assess whether the proposed housing model could offer a practical solution to Namibia’s housing crisis. The one-bedroom houses were built by Yambuka Housing, an initiative that promotes prefabricated houses as an alternative to delivering affordable homes to families living in informal settlements.
The President said she had been introduced to Yambuka Housing’s initiative and was impressed by its approach to making low-cost housing a reality for Namibians who cannot afford conventional homes.
She was especially impressed by the fact that the houses can be built within a short period of time.
“I am here to see whether what Yambuka has told me is really true, and from what I am seeing now, it is true,” she said.
She said the first two houses were sponsored to demonstrate that the model was viable and to encourage other Namibians to explore similar affordable housing solutions.
“These first two were donations to confirm that it is done,” Nandi-Ndaitwah said, emphasising that the broader programme aims to make affordable housing accessible to ordinary Namibians.
She noted that housing remained a national priority under both the Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6) and the Swapo Party election manifesto.
According to the President, Namibia faces a housing shortfall of approximately 500 000 units.
The government has set a target to construct 10 000 houses annually from 2025 to 2030, adding 50 000 houses by the end of her administration.
“If we work together, things can happen,” she said, urging stakeholders to contribute towards addressing the housing shortage.
She also urged the relevant authorities to assess whether the prefabricated houses meet the required standards, arguing that affordable housing solutions should not be dismissed merely because they differ from conventional construction methods.
-Nampa
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