Welcome to another way of understanding access to housing in Namibia.

Namibia has a structural deficit of around 300,000 social housing units, most of which are low-cost or ultra-low-cost and low incomes.

Sale prices are out of touch with social reality.

Mortgage loans are not suitable for people working in the informal economy or those with low incomes.

Solutions must be found; housing is probably one of the country's main problems, but the years go by quickly without these solutions arriving, and families have nowhere to live, and also young people cannot even think about starting a family. 

Political will
This is not difficult to achieve; the political will to solve the housing problem already exists.

Collaboration from the authorities
The housing problem is so urgent that paperwork and permits only cause unnecessary delays. This is something that happens in most countries around the world. Collaboration means collaboration, not just empty words.

Land allocation to the population
The authorities must make land available to the population for construction by offering plots free of charge or at a symbolic price. It is also important that the plots not be excessively large, because the difference between developing affordable semi-detached houses and doing so on plots of 150 square meters versus 500 square meters is significant, and the cost is often prohibitive.

Create cooperatives to handle land development
It seems clear that the authorities lack the financial capacity to develop the land as quickly as necessary. Creating large housing cooperatives can help make this process more efficient and, above all, more economical.

Generate large-scale projects to take advantage of economies of scale in the purchase of materials
It is not the same to buy materials to build one house as it is to build one hundred, one thousand, or one hundred thousand. Everyone knows that in these cases, prices are negotiated.

Offer realistic construction prices
Most Namibians have low wages, so why are housing prices so high? Is housing only built for people with high incomes? It's obvious that a 50-square-meter house can't cost the same as a 200-square-meter one; everyone understands this. The problem is when a family buys a 50-square-meter house and it seems like they're paying for a 200-square-meter one.

Truly affordable payment options for ultra-low-cost housing
Financing is generated from a constant flow of working capital, and part of that flow is used to help those with the least resources.

Project Financing
Whenever a construction project is discussed, almost everyone asks who's going to pay for it. Why should that be the case? The person who wants the house has to pay for it; this is a very real fact. This is why it's so important that the price of a house be realistic and not a way to make developers rich.

Zero corruption
This point needs no explanation.