The National Housing Enterprise (NHE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Development Workshop Namibia Trust (DWN) aimed at establishing collaborative ways to accelerate housing delivery for low-income earners in Namibia.
At a ceremony held in Windhoek today, 02 September 2024, NHE Chief Executive Officer, Gisbertus Mukulu, underscored the importance of smart partnerships with key stakeholders in the housing sector to fast-track the development of affordable and quality houses in urban centres.
“We are all in agreement that a lot of our people have very limited means to afford houses in this housing market that keeps becoming unfriendly to lower income groups. It will be unfair to such income groups if an institution like the NHE does not exploit opportunities to work with NGOs like DWN in sustainably addressing their housing needs,” he said, adding that “we as NHE are experts in building affordable houses, while the DWN is experienced in providing affordable serviced land.
Mukulu acknowledged that addressing housing needs for low-income earners is challenging amid rising costs associated with land delivery and building material. He lauded the relationship with DWN as timeous and one that carries the potential to add value to existing interventions such as the Informal Settlement Upgrading Project (ISUP).
“While it is not a walk in the park to address the housing needs of people with minimal incomes, I believe our collaboration can overcome challenges and make a difference in the lives of our people,” Mukulu emphasised.
DWN Country Director, Jessica Brown, stated that availability of affordable residential land is a key enabling factor to address Namibia’s housing crises and housing backlog, calling for concerted efforts to speed up the planning and servicing of affordable residential land.
“Over the last years, DWN has expanded its operations across the country: DWN today has partnership agreements with 19 local authorities, through which DWN plans and services land. The plots are sold at development cost, at affordable prices, and can be paid of over a period of one to two years. This allows low-income residents to purchase a plot with title, to start building their homes, to create wealth, and ultimately pass it on to the next generation,” Brown elaborated.
DWN is a non-governmental organization playing a key role in the land servicing sector, focusing on the low-income segment of society. The signing of the MoU formalizes the relationship to implement a pilot project which will determine the viability for further cooperation in terms of value addition to the mandates of both organizations.