Liberia’s National Housing Authority (NHA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with pan-African mortgage financier Shelter Afrique for the construction of 1000 housing units for low-income earners.
The agreement which was signed between Shelter Afrique Chief Executive Officer Hon. Andrew Chimphondah while NHA was represented by Hon. Cecelia Cuffy Brown, envisages construction of 1000 social housing units in five phase with construction estimated to cost US $30m.
“When we visited Liberia we established that more 70% of the Monrovian population are living in slums dwellings and we resolved to make a difference and this has culminated in the signing of the Public Private Partnership agreement with the National Housing Authority on behalf of the government of Liberia. This MOU has created framework for PPP, with defined obligations from the government of Liberia and Shelter Afrique,” said Mr. Chimphondah.
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Affordable housing
The 1000 housing units are part of Liberian Government national housing drive aiming for 50,000 to 80,000 housing units across all 15 of Liberia’s Counties. The project which is expected to kick off later this year, will be developed with at least 192 units expected to be completed in the Phase 1. It has been designed to accommodate 40 blocks with each block comprising 24 units. Each unit shall incorporate 2 bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.
According to the signed agreement, Shelter Afrique will provide financial solutions through crowding in funders into the project, advisory services, and share research reports emanating from its Centre of Excellence with the National Housing Authority. NHA on the other hand, has committed to providing land, appropriate infrastructure, and providing sovereign guarantee in favour of all co-lenders associated with the project.
“Our pro-poor agenda puts affordable housing at the heart of Liberia’s national development programme. With this partnership with shelter Afrique, the government will be able to reduce the cost of housing units considerably and provide houses selling as low as US $15,000 which I believe will be affordable to many Liberians,” Ms. Cuffy-Brown commented.
I appreciate the affordable housing unit project, to be built for the under privilege population in Liberia. Beautiful success getting our people from the ashes of poverty to a high standard of life. But the said amount to be purchase, is a lot that they cannot afford, due to lack of job opportunities in the country. Most of these people are not working, secondly, some of them who worked are not been paid on time and even been paid below the minimum wage. Those who are engage into business, do not get the profit needed to keep up their family size. Therefore, I suggest that there should be a reduction in that amount and a contract should be agree upon in the form of a loan to be paid at a certain length of time frame.