A new parliamentary report has found that Namibia requires three billion Namibian dollars to effectively address its national housing shortage, a figure that triples the current government allocation. The report from the National Council Standing Committee on transport, infrastructure, and housing indicates a national backlog of between 300,000 and 700,000 housing units.
Committee chairperson Alfeus Abraham stated that increased funding is essential for local and regional councils to meet housing demand. The report also calls for legal reforms, including amendments to the Local Authorities Act and the Regional Councils Act, to streamline processes and make serviced land more affordable.
The committee identified several major obstacles, citing the high cost of land servicing, complex town planning procedures, and restrictive minimum plot sizes as significant barriers. A substantial funding gap was noted, where the cost of developing new townships vastly exceeds the government funding provided to local authorities for such projects.
Committee chairperson Alfeus Abraham stated that increased funding is essential for local and regional councils to meet housing demand. The report also calls for legal reforms, including amendments to the Local Authorities Act and the Regional Councils Act, to streamline processes and make serviced land more affordable.
The committee identified several major obstacles, citing the high cost of land servicing, complex town planning procedures, and restrictive minimum plot sizes as significant barriers. A substantial funding gap was noted, where the cost of developing new townships vastly exceeds the government funding provided to local authorities for such projects.
