NHE commits to delivering 2,000 homes by 2026

The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) and the Ondangwa Town Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at addressing the acute housing needs of residents in the town, particularly low-income earners. The MoU paves the way for close collaboration between the two entities in order to formalise informal settlements under the national Informal Settlement Upgrading Project (ISUP), which is designed to deliver decent affordable housing to residents most affected by the housing crisis.

Working towards an ambitious national target of constructing 2,000 housing units by April 2026, NHE management have recently embarked on a countrywide fact-finding mission to enable local authorities in the country to canvas for land to support the 2,000 target for the 2025/2026 financial year. The engagements proved positive, with over 2,500 plots already identified in towns including Swakopmund, Rundu, Katima Mulilo, Keetmanshoop, Mariental, Eenhana and Nkurenkuru.

As part of its ongoing efforts to tackle the housing backlog in the country, the chairperson of the NHE Board of Directors, Ms Toska Sem, recently handed over 30 newly constructed houses to beneficiaries in Omuthiya. This latest batch of houses brings the total number of homes delivered by the NHE in Omuthiya over the past year to 80, following the handover of 50 units last year.

The project will see beneficiaries paying monthly instalments of N$400 per month for a one-bedroom house, while three-bedroom houses will have monthly repayments of approximately N$1200 per month. “This is the impact that we have been yearning for as a country where low-income earners are offered opportunities to own formal structures in urban centres, thereby uplifting their economic positions,” said Sem. She commended all local authorities who have responded positively, reiterating the NHE’s readiness to engage beyond the parameters of the ISUP to deliver affordable housing to all.

Housing shortages continue to affect low-income Namibians, but the NHE remains committed to ensuring that more people in this vulnerable category gain access to formal housing through strategic, sustainable partnerships, while calling on all other local authorities to join this noble initiative. According to Sem, the NHE has crafted the 2025/26-2028/29 Integrated Strategic Business Plan (ISBP) to guide its operations over the next five years. “The ISBP, which has particular focus on business growth, operational excellence and customer centricity, also takes cognisance of the government’s directive for the NHE to deliver at least 2,000 houses annually for the next five years,” she added.

Maggie Forcelledo Paz