24 Sep 2024

 Government has made significant strides towards provision of housing as part of its broader development goals through the National Housing Policy which advocates for access to affordable housing for all citizens.

Officiating during the ground breaking ceremony of Botswana Housing Cooperation’s 318 Sebaga Estate housing development in Block 7 Gaborone, the Acting President, Mr Slumber Tsogwane, said housing was a basic need and a pre-requisite for national socio economic development as it promoted dignity and improved quality of life.

He said the National Housing Policy strategic intervention included initiatives to promote sustainable urban development and improve living conditions. It is against this background that Mr Tsogwane emphasised government’s commitment to accelerating housing production to meet demand and enable economic growth.  

This, he said, was in line with Vision 2036, which advocated for increased access to affordable housing and basic services.

Mr Tsogwane said the Sebaga housing units project was intended to alleviate the shortage of accommodation among Batswana residing in Gaborone and the surrounding areas.

He said Batswana had been continually migrating towards the Gaborone City in search of jobs and business opportunities, raising the demand for housing hence the need to facilitate provision of decent housing.

“It is our belief that upon completion, these units will provide the much-needed comfort for the many Batswana families and individuals who have desired to own houses,” he said.

“Our hope is that many of our citizens will seize opportunity and become first time owners in the beautiful estate to be developed on this site.”

He noted that the project was unbundled in line with the Citizen Economic Empowerment Initiative, which aims to promote inclusive economic growth by empowering citizens to participate actively in the economy.

This initiative, he said, would create a more equitable economic landscape, ensuring that all Batswana could benefit from national economic growth and development.

Mr Tsogwane nonetheless highlighted government’s concern about poor project implementation, which often resulted in poor quality projects, cost overruns and protracted litigations.

He said it was for this reason that the government adopted a Development Manager Model, with the intent to facilitate public sector project delivery.

He thus urged all the contractors to commit to the agreed timelines for the completion of projects.

The Sebaga Estate project has been unbundled into several packages and allocated to 100 per cent citizen owned companies particularly those of youth and women. ENDS