Namibia: N$300m Left to Tackle Namibia's Housing Crisis

What the report says

Namibia’s Ministry of Urban and Rural Development says about N$300 million is still available for housing construction, but the money must be spread across 59 local authorities at a time when demand for serviced land and affordable homes is rising. The report, published by The Namibian and distributed by AllAfrica, says the funding gap is a major obstacle to tackling the country’s housing shortage.

Deputy director of housing development Kornelius Taseb briefed the National Assembly standing committee on urban and rural development and land reform during oversight visits to informal settlements in Kavango East, Kavango West, Zambezi and Otjozondjupa. He said limited budgets and housing finance are slowing the ministry’s response, while the growth of informal settlements is creating additional planning and technical challenges.

According to the ministry’s presentation, Namibia is becoming more urbanised, with about half the population now living in towns and cities. The article says 28.7% of households live in informal dwellings, rising to 40% in urban areas. The government’s sixth National Development Plan aims to cut the share of households in informal settlements to 16.7% by 2030 and increase serviced plots and housing delivery, but officials say high construction costs, scarce serviced land and a mismatch between available products and what lower-income households can afford remain major barriers.

The ministry says research is underway to assess the housing market and identify cheaper building methods before construction begins, while the 2026/27 budget includes allocations for informal settlement upgrading, affordable housing, Build Together and the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia.