Patience Makwele
A new Namibian-owned housing company has entered the affordable housing market with prefabricated homes ranging between N$120,000 and N$190,000, saying the units can be installed within days once foundations have been prepared.
Yambuka Housing says its model could provide an alternative solution to Namibia’s growing housing shortage and the expansion of informal settlements.
However, the company’s financing mechanism is still being developed, with affordability remaining one of the key questions facing potential buyers.
The initiative was unveiled during a media engagement in Windhoek on Wednesday, where the company showcased its housing models and outlined plans to expand access to alternative building technologies.
Yambuka Housing executive director Twapewa Kadhikwa said Namibia’s housing crisis requires innovative approaches from the private sector alongside government interventions.
“We have a good and available alternative. We are not dreaming. This is real. You can touch it, you can order it,” Kadhikwa said.
The company currently offers two housing models: a 32-square-metre unit priced at N$120,000 and a 43-square-metre unit costing N$190,000.
According to Yambuka Housing, the units are manufactured locally and can be assembled within seven days after the foundation has been completed.
Kadhikwa said the company is not a land developer but focuses on providing housing structures that can be installed on privately owned or approved land.
She explained that the units can also be dismantled and relocated if required, subject to relevant approvals.
“We don’t sell land. We sell houses,” she said.
The company said it is registered with the Business and Intellectual Property Authority (BIPA) and is working towards obtaining certification for its housing system.
On financing, Kadhikwa said Yambuka Housing intends to develop its own financing instrument after assessing public demand through registrations expected to open this weekend.
She said the aim is to create an alternative to traditional mortgage financing, which many Namibians struggle to access.
Questions were raised during the engagement about whether informal settlement residents, including informal traders and low-income earners, would realistically afford the homes.
Kadhikwa argued that people living in informal settlements should not automatically be viewed as unable to afford housing, saying many generate income through informal businesses.
“We need to understand the market first before we design the product,” she said, adding that public interest would help determine the structure of the financing model.
The company also said installation of the homes would require compliance with municipal requirements, including approvals for the land where the units would be placed.
Addressing concerns around previous housing initiatives that failed to deliver on promises, Kadhikwa said Yambuka Housing intends to remain transparent and accountable.
“We are traceable, we are visible and we are accessible,” she said.
She added that the company plans to work with trained local installers to assemble units across the country.
The launch also featured testimony from Selma Oskar, who shared her experiences living in an informal settlement, highlighting challenges such as limited access to water, sanitation and electricity.
“Behind every shack is a family with hope and dreams, just like yours,” Oskar said.
A real estate practitioner and founder of Unique Properties, welcomed the initiative, saying Namibia’s housing shortage requires multiple solutions and that alternative construction methods could contribute to expanding home ownership opportunities.
Yambuka Housing has invited members of the public to attend an open day on Saturday, where prospective buyers can view demonstration homes, receive more information and register their interest.
While the company has positioned prefab housing as a potential alternative to conventional construction, questions remain around affordability, access to serviced land and financing for low-income households, which are issues that Yambuka Housing says will be addressed as the project develops.
