Govt targets private sector for 1m homes

LIVINGSTONE MARUFU IN BULAWAYO
Government is counting on the private sector in the construction industry to help build one million homes by 2030, as the administration concedes that strained public finances cannot carry the cost of tackling the country’s 1.5 million-unit housing backlog.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Professor Paul Mavima said the target under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) would depend on a closer partnership between government, developers, financiers, contractors and local authorities.
Speaking at the official opening of the Construction Industry Federation of Zimbabwe (CIFOZ) Annual General Meeting and Congress in Bulawayo, Mavima said Treasury did not have the resources to finance the programme on its own.
“Treasury will never be able to provide the money needed to deliver one million houses. At most, it could provide a few flats here and there, but with private-sector participation, one million houses can be delivered,” Mavima said.
The government and construction industry, he said, had delivered about one million housing units during the first phase of the national development strategy, but maintaining that pace would require a larger role for private investors and developers.
“That target requires collaboration between government, the private sector, local authorities, financial institutions, developers, professionals, manufacturers and communities,” he said.
The government is now pushing contractors to consolidate their financial and technical capacity through joint ventures, consortia and strategic partnerships, positioning local companies to take on larger projects and compete beyond Zimbabwe.
Professor Mavima said the construction industry should evolve from serving the domestic market to exporting its expertise across the region.
“Zimbabwe should have this hunger to sell to other nations,” he said, urging CIFOZ members to build companies capable of winning projects outside the country.
He cited South Korea’s development as an example of how domestic construction capabilities can underpin wider economic transformation.
Professor Mavima also challenged contractors to develop cheaper housing models, saying four-room core houses could be constructed for about US$15,000.
“I want to challenge the contractors to come up with financing so that we can provide the necessary equipment. Let’s face that challenge,” he said.
The minister said innovation would be critical to bringing down construction costs and speeding up delivery, with the industry expected to embrace modular construction, alternative building technologies, digital design and green construction.
“Construction is therefore an economic lifeline. Every housing project stimulates demand for cement, steel, bricks, timber, transport, engineering and professional services,” Mavima said.
“Every road connects markets. Every industrial facility expands production capacity. Every school develops human capital.”
The housing programme comes as Zimbabwe seeks to use construction as a broader engine of economic activity, with demand for housing expected to generate knock-on business for manufacturers, suppliers, transport companies, professional services firms and financial institutions.
Professor Mavima said the government’s role was to provide policy leadership and an enabling environment, while the private sector would bring investment, innovation and efficiency.
But he warned that the drive for volume should not undermine construction standards.
“Zimbabwe cannot be built on shortcuts,” Professor Mavima said.
“We need to move from a culture of construction at any cost to a culture of quality construction with lasting value.”
He said housing projects should be treated as complete settlements rather than simply the construction of individual houses, with roads, water, sanitation and social amenities incorporated from the outset.
“A housing development without adequate roads, water, sanitation and social amenities is not a complete human settlement,” he said.
Professor Mavima also urged the industry to strengthen professional ethics and reject corruption, collusion, inflated costs and substandard materials.
“Every tender that is awarded, every certificate that is issued, materials specified and project supervision carries a responsibility,” he said.