Chakwera pledges to address housing shortage
President Lazarus Chakwera has said his government has embarked on a series of projects aimed at addressing the shortage of housing in the country.
Speaking in Lilongwe yesterday during a Housing Symposium jointly hosted by the Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) and Henan Guoji Limited, the President said government aims to reduce the housing deficit by constructing 250 000 houses by 2030.
He said for starters, government is building 500 houses for security agencies such as the Department of Immigration and Citizen Services and Malawi Police Service.
Said Chakwera: “This project we have started of building 250 000 houses requires a very strong Malawi Housing Corporation and in that regard, I have also launched a project for the construction of an MHC office complex to enable the smooth work of the corporation so that by the time I will be finishing my term in the year 2030, we will have made great strides.”
He further revealed that the Ministry of Lands has affordable and resilient house designs for people to use for free.
Chakwera said the designs will be circulated by district council offices nationwide as part of bringing sanity in construction of houses, adding the initiative is also aimed at helping communities plan their settlements.
During the symposium, Chakwera also launched construction works of the MHC headquarters in Lilongwe.
The office complex project is expected to begin in less than two months and the construction will be done by Henan Guoji Limited.
The company’s general manager Nancy Wang said the project will be co-financed by Henan Guoji and MHC.
She said: “The figure is around $3 million but the actual amount will be known once the bill of quantities is finalised. The work will start in less than two months.”
Wang said once the project starts, it is expected to be completed between six and 12 months.
