Pinehas K. Pinehas
The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has set out an ambitious plan to provide adequate, safe and affordable housing to thousands of Namibians yearning for a proper roof over their head.
At the launch of its Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP) for 2024/25 -2028/29 yesterday, the parastatal acknowledged the need for decent houses for Namibians, many of whom live in informal and make-shift structures across the country.
As part of its strategic drive, the NHE places high priority to reducing Namibian households living in impoverished houses through the upgrading of slums.
The company faces a 300,000 housing backlog, which will cost N$76 billion.
The plan details how the parastatal aims to clear its backlog as demand for its services continues to grow.
Themed “New Dawn, New Day”, the NHE’s ISBP provides stratergic direction for enhancing housing solutions in the country from 2025 to 2029.
The NHE has already set in motion some of the targets in its ISBP, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding with City of Windhoek, and the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development regarding the implementation of the Informal Settlement Upgrade Program (ISUP).
It has also already acquired 1,097 plots and constructed 1,065 houses in different towns, with a loan book increase of 91.34%, from N$553 million to N$1.059 billion.
The company has committed in its newly launched ISBP to strengthen engagement with local authorities to secure more fully serviced land in high-demand areas for housing projects.
It also aims to boost funding through PPP’s, borrowing, increased sales, public-private partnerships, and additional government support to ensure sufficient capital for housing projects.
The ISBP supports Vision 2030, National Development Plan (NDP6) and the Harambee Prosperity Plan 2 (HPP2), and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Officiating at the event, Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa described the plans laid out in the NHE’s stratergic plan as a milestone that underscores NHE’s quest to adopt a transformational direction that seeks to address the housing backlog that has affected our country in recent years.
Sankwasa said every government institution needs a clear plan to ensure effectiveness and accountability, and NHE’s new strategy is demonstrating strong leadership and foresight.
He further stated that “A plan exemplifies how any institution can operationalise and realise any initiatives by aligning it with objectives and resources. With this said, NHE has demonstrated commendable foresight and institutional maturity by institutionalising a forward-looking comprehensive five-year strategic business plan.”
-ppinehas@nepc.com.na