The Northern Regional Electricity Distributor (NORED) has electrified 50 houses that were recently handed over to the owners through the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia in the Zambezi Region's Bukalo village.
The electrified houses are part of phase one of an ongoing two-phase construction project.
The second phase is also at an advanced stage.
The Shack Dwellers Federation Project Officer, Kamokamwe Angusto, announced additional land provided by the Bukalo Village Council for more housing development.
"We are especially excited that the Bukalo Village Council has taken a step to provide an additional 500 erven for the Shack Dwellers Federation. This generous land contribution is not just a transaction; it's a transformational opportunity that we intend to maximise. Our goal is to build the maximum number of houses possible on this land, if not all, so that more families can benefit from shelter and a stable future."
The Development Workshop Namibia (DWN) programme is responsible for the project and said that their approach is based on partnerships with local authorities providing land for the development of infrastructure.
Such an approach, DWN's regional coordinator Fortune Minyoi said, is considered to make it easier for low-income earners to afford plots and build houses within their means.
"This programme is now active in 21 towns in Namibia, which puts Development Workshop Namibia in a position to assist the government to achieve the plan to construct 10,000 low-cost units per annum as stated by Her Excellency Dr. Netumbo Nandi Ndaitwah in her maiden State of the Nation Address."
Urban and Rural Development Minister James Sankwasa handed over the electrified houses and presided over the groundbreaking ceremony on the newly allocated land.
He urged that future construction should take plot sizes into account, allowing room for potential home extensions.
Sankwasa also highlighted new efforts to enable local authorities to provide affordable housing, following his participation in a Shelter Afrique Bank conference in Algeria.
The bank, he said, has now agreed to reduce its interest rate below 10 percent, down from the usual 12 percent.
"Village councils, town councils, and municipalities can access money through this bank with government guarantees, of course, to build houses and make sure that the houses are available to the Namibian people. In this vein, I want to place on record my request, my plea, that the Bukalo village council should not remain a village in the next 5 years; we want to come to the Bukalo town council, not the Bukalo village council."
Minister Sankwasa noted that this upgrade will help address many issues, such as unemployment and a lack of infrastructure development.