Zambia is a land-locked country with most of its 753,000 sq km land area
between 1,000 and 1,400 metres above sea-level. Formerly Northern
Rhodesia, Zambia gained its Independence from Great Britain in October,
1964.
The population of Zambia in 2010 was 13.05 million, up from
9.9 million in 2000, of which 5.07 million (39 per cent) live in urban
areas. In 2010, the number of households in Zambia was 2.64 million of
which 1.03 million were in urban areas.
Urban household numbers
have increased in number by 643,207 since 2009 representing an average
of 64,000 new urban households every year.
It is a reality that
providing adequate housing to millions of low income households globally
and particularly in urban centres is one of the greatest challenges
facing society.
To address the challenges in the housing sector, the UN-Habitat welcomed
the
initiative of the Government of Zambia to join other countries such as
Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Malawi or Tunisia on the review of the housing
sector using the UN Habitat’s housing profiling tool.
Launching
the housing profile the Minister of Local Government and Housing
Professor Nkandu Luo stated ‘The vision of the Government of the
Republic of Zambia in the housing sector is, “to have planned
settlements with adequate, affordable and quality housing by 2030”. The
question is can they meet that target?
ChallengesUntil
recently, Zambia was classified as a “Highly-Indebted Country” with
very high levels of poverty, low GDP per capita and declining conditions
of urban living. Following debt relief, the foreign debt of ZMK29.82
trillion in 2004 was reduced to ZMK2.1 trillion in 2005. With a Gross
National Income per capita of USD1,070,6 it is now classified as
“Lower-Middle Income Country”
According to the Economic
Commission for Africa, poverty is firmly embedded in Zambia though the
poverty incidence was down from 78 per cent in 1996 to 67 per cent in
2003. Overall poverty includes those who can afford to meet basic
nutritional needs but cannot afford their non-food needs.
In
2006, 34 per cent of the urban population and 64 per cent of all Zambia
fell into this category. Extreme poverty is defined as those whose
standard of living is insufficient to meet their basic nutritional
requirements even if they devote their entire consumption budget to
food.
These constitute 20 per cent of the urban population and 51 per cent of all Zambia.
Per capita annual incomes are below USD1,300, placing Zambia among the world’s poorest nations.
There
is no compulsory education in Zambia although the first seven years of
education are free. Infant mortality rate is 84 per thousand live
births. UN Habitat report shows 62 per cent of urban households
receiving ZMK800,000 (USD200)30 or less per month and a mean monthly
urban income of ZMK950,000 (USD190) in 2006.
Wages are still low for most workers in Zambia.
The
rent element seems inappropriate as it is unlikely that any household
which is restricted to ZMK800,000 a month for food will live in a medium
cost dwelling.
As identified, the inadequate availability of
affordable and decent housing in Zambia is one of the major challenges
that the Government is facing in its quest to provide municipal services
to its entire people.
This is exacerbated by the fact that the
actual shortfall remains unclear and government has to rely on very
rough estimates in order to plan the necessary interventions.
ProspectNational
Housing Profile can be the first step to inform and engage policy and
decision-makers, and provide them with the evidence needed to design
their choices and support critical decisions.
UN-Habitat
Executive Director, Dr Joan Clos says developing a Housing Profile needs
to be seen as the basis for a broad housing sector reform that aims to
improve its overall performance.
Clearly, the performance of a
nation’s housing sector, its impact on cities and towns, and the living
conditions of poor households is a key concern not only of national
public policy, but it is also central to the agenda and international
mandate of UN-Habitat.
Any shortfall in the housing sector could
trigger severe negative impacts on social welfare, the environment and
on the general performance of the national economy.
On the other
hand, good housing, especially when security of tenure is in place, can
make a significant contribution to the way households respond to an
illness, care-giving and death cycle. If the home is secure, it is an
asset which can ensure greater economic independence.
By: Samuel Mantey
Property Express
Email: Sammyoo3@yahoo.com
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