THE National Housing Authority (NHA) and Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) have signed an agreement with a Nigerian construction company, Urban Shelter, to build 5,000 housing units in Lusaka.
The agreement will involve over US$10 million and will run for three years – from 2011 to 2013.
The houses will be built in Lusaka’s North Gate area.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Lusaka on Tuesday, NHA chief executive officer Elias Mpondela said the construction of 5,000 houses will help Zambia reduce the over two million housing deficit.
“At NHA, our desire is to provide quality and affordable houses to our people. The coming of Urban Shelter to Zambia will help us to reduce the over two million housing deficit the country is facing,” Mr Mpondela said.
He said NHA will provide about seven to eight hectares of land to Urban Shelter for the construction of the houses.
Mr Mpondela said the current shortage of houses can be dealt with through the public private partnership programme, which NHA has entered into with the Nigerian company.
Urban Shelter assistant general manager Raheem Taofiq said his company will start the drafting and planning of the houses this year, and is expected to build the units in 2013.
Mr Taofiq said his company will use local materials and employ over 300 local people during the three-year project.
“Urban Shelter will build modern houses ranging from two, three, four and five bedrooms. We are scheduled to complete this project in 36 months,” he said.
Mr Taofiq said Urban Shelter will engage both skilled and non-skilled employees in Zambia because his company does not believe in out-sourcing labour.
Earlier, Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria John Mwaimba said the coming of Urban Shelter to Zambia is a result of President Banda’s good governance.
Mr Mwaimba said Mr Banda has managed to lure a lot of investors to Zamabia not just from Nigeria but also from other countries.
“President Banda has shamed his critics, who always condemn his trips abroad. But the coming of Urban Shelter and other investors from Nigeria is an indication of his prudent administration,” he said.
And Nigerian Investment Promotions Centre director Waziri Zanna assured Zambia that Urban Shelter will build quality and affordable houses.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
May it become a reality, NHA. But please the construction company should stick to delivery time to the would be buyers of the house, as some of the monies the buyers pay to construction companies are sourced from bank loans at very high interest and therefore need to bear fruit, according to plan and of course as quickly as possible. This has always proved a problem in Zed, though I know that NHA did an excellent job at PHI. Meanwood has been a very big disappointment to those people who had paid them in full for construction of houses. The 6-9 months contracted construction period has taken more than 5-6 years, and even handing over incomplete houses with no fittings – what a shame!
US$10m = K48,500,000,000 (@K4850/US$)
No. of houses = 5000
Price per house = K48,500,000,000/5000 = K9,700,000
Now can Mpondela tell me which house can he build in K9,700,000. These Nigerians are crooks and they are the ones we think can develop our country. Zambia is headed for disaster. Please Sata and PF save us.
#2 spot on. his is just another campaign tactic by MMD through NHA. Another thing to note is that for MMD everything is in the future.
oops, i forgot that its elections year, thanks LT for the heads up!!!
What suprises me most is that since 1990s both UNZA and CBU have been producing civil engineers, architects, Planners etc, but we still get Nigerians (for that matter) to come and and buld houses in our country. and here is a high commisioner (who is so desperate to please the president and keep his job) saying; “…the coming of (Nigerians) is because of good governance of President Banda” . mwe Lesa When will we grow up as country kanshi? And if I may ask, how is good governance measured? (or may be MMD cadres have their meaning for this term). These crooks have come to make huge profits (for mediocre work) and u call that ‘good governance’? please spare me from this nonsense, I’m no longer a Zambian!
No. 2 – Lies get uncovered and pretty quick. This is what you get when you have an I’diot in state house appointing cadres to key positions. This guy is a total *****
Housing problem would only be solved by empowering citizens, not bringing Nigerian crooks to come and do the work which could be better done by Zambians. And no government (of any country) can meet all the housing needs of its population, but citizens themselves do. so unless u empower ur citizens, dont talk about meeting housing needs, unless you are just campaigning (like in this case).
So Mupondela can get away with getting an overdraft that is not authorised and then contract a Nigerian firm after getting an unwarranted overdraft from a Nigerian Bank?…Something doesnt add up here….
Is this the Mpondela who wanted to stand as MMD Vice President? Well, and it is election year!
No 2 u are correct,imposible…Even US$100 000 0000 will only give ZMK 97million per house…not possible to build a house with this amt either!
Mr.Mpondela be realistic that amount cant build 5000houses may be on foundation level.Any away nice try.
I thought Nigeria has more housing problems coupled with electricity shortages and load shedding? S-t-u-p-i-d MMD’s lies!!!
EVEN AT REALISTIC PRICES ONLY 200 HOUSES WILL BE BUILT…..L.T OR THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO CLARIFY THIS ALONG WITH OSSAMA BIN LADEN DEATH PHOTOS
Is Zambia Lusaka or Lusaka Zambia? Accomodation in rural areas is pathetic yet the government has continued building houses in Lusaka. Is better accomodation a preserve of people and workers in urban areas? Civil servants in rural areas also need better accomodation.
It appears their solar calcualtor switched off.
May be we should stick to the Chinese! Naija, yangu! Unfortunately, these ideas start so well but by the time construction starts, the prices of these houses would have trippled! Thank God PF will build social housing for poorer people. The people involved in this deal are all suspicious:
1. Mpondela- From Vice President to Managing Director
2. Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria- Fired for amadelu
3. Urban Shelter- Nai nai
Urban Shelter was involved in a scandal with Halliburton…. except from All Africa
In the ‘tsunami of all bribes’ doled out by Halliburton, nothing less than $50 million was allegedly paid to former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar; his Minister of Petroleum, Don Etiebet; former Chairman of the Transition Committee in his government, Ibrahim Aliyu; and Nasir Ado Bayero. The Okiro Report said Abdulsalami and Etiebet allegedly got $37.5 million between 1999 and 2000, and Bayero and Edith Edeghoughon received $600,000 and $290,000.
Aliyu, as Chairman of Intercellular and Urban Shelter, reportedly received $11.7 million during the period, in the scandal which came to light in a court trial in France
If the houses are to be built using local materials and local labour, why come all the way to Abuja or Lagos to select a contractor. Surely, Zambia has sufficient competent, experienced and skilled civil engineers and building contractors that can do this work. The sooner we start believing in our own abilities, the better. Looks like we still have some sort of inferiority complex and think that only foreigners can do the job for us. At this rate, we will never develop!
We got a 2million housing units deficit.The quasi government agency charged with the counstruction of affordable housing is proud to announce the scheme to build 5000 units over three years,when the deficit will of course be larger.that is less than 5000 units?thats like 0.0025% of the deficit!How are pipo suppozed to get excited about that.
@Dr XYZ..I hav figured how they intend to build units at the costs you mentioned.Factor in economy of scales and use mud instead of cement and they should be able to beat your afforementioned cost of zmk 9,700,00 per unit!But this story shows how rubbish our journalists just are.How could this story make it past any serious editor.It wouldnt take a math genius to see that the figures dont make sense at all.
Nonsense……..
We need a govt that will empower its own.NOT AYAMA RUBBISH.NICEKELO BUSIINESS.WHY NIGERIA AND INVOLVING THE EMBASSY.
US$10m X ZMK5000/US$1 = ZMK50bn. ZMK50bn/5000houses = ZMK10m/house. This does make ECONOMIC sense! IS THIS THE OFFER PRICE FOR A PLOT WHICH NHA IS OFFERING? IS IT FOR THE LAND ONLY?
why cant they give the job to zambians, if they have money to pay the nigerians, i think its fair to let zambians do the construction of these houses. Chinese and nigerians are not to be trusted.
Isn’t there a conflict of interest when the CEO of National Housing Authority owns a company that is awarded housing contracts??? Just a thought….