Martin Endjala
The Cabinet has approved the revised National Housing Policy and Implementation Action Plan and related estimated financial implications to enable improved access to housing, and inclusive and sustainable economic development.
This was announced last week Thursday by the Cabinet spokesperson and Information Communications and Technology Minister Peya Mushelenga, following the Cabinet Decision during its 19th Decision-making meeting on 7 November 2023 in Windhoek.
Mushelenge said that the cabinet further endorsed the mechanisms contained in the revised policy to ensure the optimal attainment of its objectives.
These mechanisms have a special focus on nationwide upgrading of informal settlements and pro-active incremental land servicing, to enable a diversified array of housing provision mechanisms to occur.
As well as the Establishment of a structured Housing Subsidy Framework, which focuses on channelling public expenditure towards supporting the lowest (ultra-low and low) income groups where the human development impact and multiplier effects are most effective.
“These further include the prioritisation and redistribution of State resources towards the lowest income groups through intensified and mixed-use urban development, to contribute to socio-economic empowerment impact on the majority of the population and the creation of opportunities for sustainable and inclusive economic growth,“ said Mushelenga.
Additionally, the cabinet also endorsed mechanisms for enhanced partnership and incremental development approaches at all levels. This entails the development of required capacities and more inclusive and agile structures and mechanisms to ensure the effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Policy Implementation Action Plan.
Meanwhile, a consultation workshop for the revision of the draft National Housing Policy for 2022 and the development of the national strategy for informal settlement upgrading in Windhoek were conducted earlier this year, with many experts opining that it should focus on the neglected low end of the market that makes up almost 90 percent of households nationally, hence the approved and endorsed mechanisms.
During his budget motivation earlier this year where a total of N$1.8 billion was allocated to the ministry during the 2023/24 financial year budget allocation, the Urban and Rural Development Minister Erastus Uutoni allocated N$487 million under Programme Three to support planning, infrastructure, habitat and housing development.
Uutoni explained that the funds entail budgetary allocations to local authorities, regional councils and other role players to implement capital projects that will result in the construction of and access to basic municipal infrastructure and services as well as enhancement of opportunities for scaling up the provision of housing, land tenure security and improved sanitation.
“As part of our ongoing support towards the provision of serviced urban land and housing especially for the ultra-low and low-income groups, allocation for N$10 million has been made under this year’s budget for the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN),“ Uutoni revealed.
