Martin Endjala
The Ongos Valley Development Pty Limited is looking to tap into housing development markets beyond Namibia’s borders.
Last week, the company signed an agreement with the Zambian government to build 2 000 housing units in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone.
Abed Erastus, spokesperson for Ongos Valley, told the Windhoek Observer that the company aims to reduce the housing deficit in Namibia as well as in Africa when opportunities present themselves.
“Zambia, like Namibia and other African countries, faces significant challenges in delivering houses at scale,” he said.
The goal of the agreement with Zambia is to reduce the country’s 1.5 million housing deficit by 2030.
Erastus explained that the MoU establishes a framework that allows them to collaborate with Zambia to deliver tailored solutions that address their unique needs and challenges.
“The MoU is a first step towards our efficient expertise in the market by exporting our experts and skills to other Southern African countries and hopefully to the rest of the continent,” explained Erastus.
He, however, cautioned that there is still a lot of work to be done while maintaining that Ongos Valley remains committed to ensuring it meets the demands of its clients in providing affordable housing markets.
“By affording Namibians a chance to own a house of their own,” he said.
The Zambian permanent secretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Albert Malama, said the housing development will be targeted at public workers and the general public.
Malama said the project would be used as a template for building more similar houses in the future.
In 2019, Ongos Valley purchased 1743 hectares of land to create a 28 000-dwelling mixed-use village eight kilometres north of Windhoek. The project is worth N$4 billion.
In May this year, it welcomed 68 families into their new homes since December 2023, with more expected in August.
