An estimated housing backlog of 300 000 units

Formal housing delivery in Namibia is not keeping pace with demand, resulting in a rapid growth of informal settlements.
There is an estimated housing backlog of around 300 000 units, with an estimated backlog of 84 000 units just in Windhoek.
To clear the backlog of 300 000 houses over the next ten years, more than 30 000 housing units are required per year.
This was revealed in the Namibia Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) launched by the World Bank on Friday.
According to the report, Namibia is experiencing annual urbanization of around 3.8%, translating to 50 000 people annually. The share of the urban population is expected to increase from 52% to 60% by 2030.
There were an estimated 140 000 shacks in Namibia in 2017, informal structures are projected to outnumber formal structures in urban areas by 2025.
Only 9 000 formal housing units were constructed in 2017, compared to 13 000 informal units. The City of Windhoek estimates that the number of people living in shacks has increased from 3 000 households (80 000 people) in 2011 to 22 000 households (160 000 people) at present.
A similar trend in the growth of informal settlements is being observed in other towns as the delivery of formal housing fails to keep up with demand, the report pointed out.
Recommendations
Some of short-term interventions recommended by the report is the need to support to the finalization and implementation of the housing strategy, drawing upon global experience to promote sustainable urban development.
Secondly, leverage lessons from the student village and Windhoek housing projects to refine the housing public partnership framework.
Thirdly, implement digitalisation measures to improve cost and efficiency of the entire land delivery process, including land design, titling approval and registration.
In the medium term, the report recommended the need to introduce the excellence in design for greater efficiencies certification in Namibia in collaboration with the construction industries federation.
Moreover, create a regulatory framework for the issuance of green housing finance.
Lastly, introduce innovative market-appropriate financial products (subsidies) for the low -middle-income housing [email protected]