Zimbabwe set deliver over 500 000 housing units in 10 years

The government of Zimbabwe is set to 500 000 housing units in 10 years, in line with their Vision 2030, of a radical economic transformation programme aimed at turning the country into an Upper Middle Income economy.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Mr George Magosvongwe confirmed the reports and said that housing units aims at reducing the housing backlog that is currently at 1,25 million units.

Also Read: Ghana to construct 10,000 affordable housing units

Affordable housing units

He pointed out that construction will be under the National Command Housing Delivery Programme who will also refurbish old flats in Mbare (Harare) and Makokoba (Bulawayo), and provide capital to mothballed companies with potential for quick recovery.

Land has already been identified in provinces to kick-start the massive project. The Government is also emphasizing on densification, whereby stakeholders are encouraged to build vertically since land is a finite resource.

“By 2030 there will be no space for settlements like Mbare, Makokoba, McGregor, Sakubva, and many more. That is why we have teamed up with local authorities and some experts to refurbish old houses and flats.

Off-site and on-site services

Under Command Housing, the Government and other stakeholders seek to provide settlements with attendant off-site and on-site services, throughout the country.The country is coming from a dark era where some contractors took contributions from struggling citizens and later abandoned projects without completing, leaving Government to hand-hold some to ensure they would finish the projects causing the 1,25 million housing backlog.

Additionally, the Command Housing Programme is also focusing on the revival of “moribund local industry in order to jump-start productivity. “It is generally agreed the world over that sustainable human settlement development leads to socio-economic growth of any nation and Zimbabwe is no exception Provinces will thus be asked to identify industries or contractors that can be quickly resuscitated and these will be given seed capital to revive their operations,” stated Magosvongwe.