Namibia: Namibia's search for faster and more affordable housing solutions has gained momentum as the government explores alternative building technologies to tackle the country's growing housing backlog.

According to Namibia Press Agency, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has placed affordable housing high on her administration's agenda, setting an ambitious target of constructing 10,000 houses annually until 2030. As part of this drive, she has directed the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development to establish a special task force to fast-track land delivery for affordable housing projects.

The push gathered pace on Friday when the president visited a model house constructed using alternative building materials in Okahandja Park, one of Windhoek's sprawling informal settlements. The one-bedroom house was built using prefabricated concrete panels and completed in a few days, a construction speed developers say could significantly improve housing delivery in Namibia.

The project is a partnership between the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development, the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN), and Alternative Building Technology (ABT) Panels, the company behind the innovative construction system. The house, constructed at a cost of N.dollars 50,000, was built using materials currently imported from South Africa.

For the beneficiary, Christine Kanguvi, the new home represents more than just a building, it marks a life-changing transition from informal housing. Kanguvi moved into the house in early February 2026 after inheriting the opportunity from her late mother, Constansia Kanguvi, who had originally been identified as the beneficiary through the SDFN but passed away before construction was completed.

Speaking during the presidential visit, Kanguvi said the new house had already improved her living conditions. 'I'm very excited about it. It was a surprise, I wasn't expecting that at all,' she said. She added that she no longer worries about placing buckets inside her shack during rainfall or the possibility of strong winds lifting the roof off her home.

Impressed by the quality and speed of construction, Nandi-Ndaitwah said alternative building technologies could play an important role in addressing the rapid growth of informal settlements across the country. She commended the private sector partners involved in the project for responding to government's call to contribute innovative solutions to national development challenges.

The president described the initiative as a practical response to the objectives of Namibia's Sixth National Development Plan (NDP6), which emphasises innovation in addressing socio-economic challenges. She has since directed Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa and National Planning Commission Director General Dr Kaire Mbuende to explore ways of scaling up the technology to help reduce the national housing backlog.

Sankwasa said he was convinced of the potential of the technology when he unveiled the model house on 06 February, adding that it could significantly accelerate housing delivery. 'If we can build this in two days, imagine how many houses we can construct in a month or even in a year,' he said.

However, the minister emphasised that alternative building technologies are intended to complement rather than replace conventional housing methods. 'Those who want to continue with conventional houses, the upper class of our society who can afford houses well above N.dollars 500,000, I want them to continue with the conventional housing,' he said.

Sankwasa said the government is targeting people like teachers, police officers and military personnel currently living in shacks. 'If we can house them, we shall be able to say Namibia is on the correct trajectory,' he explained.

Mbuende described the technology as revolutionary, saying the traditional perception that houses must always be built using brick and mortar is outdated. 'This concept that everything should be brick and mortar is an old-fashioned concept. The majority of people need comfortable housing, and it is possible to achieve that with alternative technology.'

Shilongo said ABT Panels, an 80 per cent Namibian-owned company, specialises in the manufacture, supply and installation of lightweight wall, roof and floor panel systems used in the construction of houses and infrastructure. He explained that houses built with concrete panels can be assembled quickly, after which the remaining work involves finishing elements such as tiling, ceilings, painting, electrical installations and plumbing.

According to the 2023 National Population and Housing Census, about 28.7 per cent of households in Namibia live in informal housing or shacks, with 40.2 per cent of these located in urban areas. Namibia's 57 local authority areas collectively have 563 informal settlements where approximately 600,000 people, about 41.6 per cent of the urban population, live in informal housing, according to the Namibia Informal Settlement Baseline Report released by the Namibia Statistics Agency in February 2026.