Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has unveiled ambitious plans to construct 135 000 modern housing units nationwide by 2031 under a K8.1 trillion five-year strategic plan.
Unveiling the strategic plan aimed at expanding access to affordable housing, improving land administration and promoting sustainable urban development, Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Chimwemwe Chipungu said the ministry’s 2026-2031 Strategic Plan places housing delivery at the centre of efforts to respond to rapid urbanisation, population growth and rising demand for infrastructure.
He said housing delivery and management will receive K7.64 trillion, representing 93.9 percent of the total planned expenditure while the remainder will finance land governance, digital land information services, surveying, physical planning and urban development, among other interventions.
Chipungu said the strategy provided a roadmap for improving land governance, securing land tenure, expanding access to adequate housing and ensuring orderly and sustainable urban growth.
He said: “The plan has been developed at a time when Malawi is facing increasing pressure on land resources, rapid urbanisation, rising demand for housing and infrastructure, environmental challenges, and growing public expectations for efficient, transparent and accessible services.”
However, the minister said implementation will depend on government financing, internally generated resources, development partner support, public-private partnerships and other resource mobilisation mechanisms.
Chipungu acknowledged that government could not address the country’s housing challenges alone, calling for greater participation by private investors, financial institutions, development partners, professional bodies, local authorities and communities.
“Housing challenges cannot be solved by government alone. We must mobilise the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, professional bodies, local authorities, communities and other stakeholders around practical solutions,” he said.
The minister said the plan was aligned with Malawi’s broader development ambitions of agricultural commercialisation, industrialisation and urbanisation, arguing that secure land rights and effective physical planning were essential to achieving these goals.
Beyond housing, the strategy seeks to increase the number of customary estates adjudicated, demarcated and registered to 814 000 by 2031. It also targets an increase in the number of idle estates inspected and assessed to 7 900, from a baseline of 3 472.
The plan allocates K249 billion to estate management, K108 billion to digital land information services, K47 billion to land governance, K27 billion to surveying and geospatial services, and K25 billion to urban development. Physical planning will receive K17 billion, while institutional capacity development has been allocated K11 billion.
The ministry’s director of Land Information Management Systems Masida Mbano said the previous strategic plan had delivered several milestones, including the introduction of the Land Information Management System (LIMS) and the commencement of digital registration of land transactions.
Other achievements included the demarcation and production of boundary maps for the Malawi-Zambia boundary, reaffirmation of 322 kilometres of the lake boundary line, retracement and densification of 888 kilometres of land boundary lines, and production of draft maps covering 322 kilometres of land boundary lines.
Eris Properties chief executive officer Washington Chimuzu said the strategy offered businesses an opportunity to invest in housing and urban development while helping address the challenges associated with rapid urbanisation.
Speaking on behalf of development partners, World Bank country manager Abdul Muwonge said the partners were ready to support Malawi in implementing the plan.
He said housing and urban development should be regarded as key drivers of economic growth across Africa and described the strategy as timely.
Themed ‘Equitable access to secure land, adequate housing and sustainable urban development for all’, the launch was also attended by four other Cabinet ministers, namely Shadric Namalomba (Information and Communications Technology), Thoko Tembo (Mining), Jappie Mhango (Transport and Public Works) and Charles Mhango (Justice and Constitutional Affairs).
