ALAN needs more money for housing delivery
Radical increase in investment needed
President Geingob declared a state of emergency on informal settlements across the country in 2019, saying they undermine the dignity of Namibians.
The Association for Local Authorities in Namibia (ALAN) says although it has seen some positive statements from President Hage Geingob when he declared informal settlements а humanitarian crisis, there has not been much notable change in the national budget allocation that demonstrates urgency.
In 2019, Geingob declared a state of emergency on informal settlements across the country, saying they undermine the dignity of Namibians.
At the time, he said his administration would look towards resolving the land issue, which he described as the single most contentious and emotive matter in Namibia.
ALAN president Samuel !Oe-Amseb said in order for the land issue to be solved, a massive shift in thinking, service and building approaches is required, as well as a radical increase in public investment for serviced land and housing development.
He was speaking at a two-day ALAN seminar in Tsumeb on accelerating land and housing delivery. This follows the first strategic land and housing seminar by the association at Walvis Bay, which took place from 20 to 22 February.
Act now
“We need to act now with a renewed sense of urgency to ensure that there are enough affordable housing opportunities for all our people in Namibia,” !Oe-Amseb said.
In line with the revised housing policy, a renewed focus and urgency regarding housing delivery should focus on both green field development and informal settlement upgrading, he added.
!Oe-Amseb said they urgently need to explore new and innovative ways to undertake construction, fast-track land delivery and action urban design that is sustainable and meets the needs of our people through strategic collaboration and intergovernmental partnerships.
They have to come up with a project which aims to promote the most effective methodologies and strategies with the aim of scaling up the drive towards the delivery of affordable housing and security of tenure, he said.
Critical issues
Tsumeb mayor Mathews Hangula said they convened again to discuss and share ideas on critical issues and how best they can revive their local government to accelerate quality housing and land service delivery.
“As key stakeholders, we will need a workable framework to find a sustainable solution to the national housing backlog that is estimated at 300 000 housing units,” he said.
He added that Namibia continues to experience an acute shortage of affordable housing, a situation that has reached a socio-economic crisis proportion, which warrants an extraordinary public policy response.
In 2019, Geingob declared a state of emergency on informal settlements across the country, saying they undermine the dignity of Namibians.
At the time, he said his administration would look towards resolving the land issue, which he described as the single most contentious and emotive matter in Namibia.
ALAN president Samuel !Oe-Amseb said in order for the land issue to be solved, a massive shift in thinking, service and building approaches is required, as well as a radical increase in public investment for serviced land and housing development.
He was speaking at a two-day ALAN seminar in Tsumeb on accelerating land and housing delivery. This follows the first strategic land and housing seminar by the association at Walvis Bay, which took place from 20 to 22 February.
Act now
“We need to act now with a renewed sense of urgency to ensure that there are enough affordable housing opportunities for all our people in Namibia,” !Oe-Amseb said.
In line with the revised housing policy, a renewed focus and urgency regarding housing delivery should focus on both green field development and informal settlement upgrading, he added.
!Oe-Amseb said they urgently need to explore new and innovative ways to undertake construction, fast-track land delivery and action urban design that is sustainable and meets the needs of our people through strategic collaboration and intergovernmental partnerships.
They have to come up with a project which aims to promote the most effective methodologies and strategies with the aim of scaling up the drive towards the delivery of affordable housing and security of tenure, he said.
Critical issues
Tsumeb mayor Mathews Hangula said they convened again to discuss and share ideas on critical issues and how best they can revive their local government to accelerate quality housing and land service delivery.
“As key stakeholders, we will need a workable framework to find a sustainable solution to the national housing backlog that is estimated at 300 000 housing units,” he said.
He added that Namibia continues to experience an acute shortage of affordable housing, a situation that has reached a socio-economic crisis proportion, which warrants an extraordinary public policy response.
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