BY SAHR ERIC DUMBAR MATTURI
The Lack of accessibility and availability of affordable Housing Units is a very big Challenge affecting the Sierra Leone Housing Sector, as over the years, studies have shown that over 900,000 citizens in Western Area lack access to affordable Housing Units, which has resulted in increase in the number of Slum Communities that are exposed to every threat of life.
It could be recalled that under the new direction initiative of President Julius Maada Bio’s first five years, the Sierra Leone Housing Corporation (SALHOC) in Collaboration with the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, on Tuesday the 3rd of July 2018, officially presented a Drafted Housing Sector Strategy Paper in an event which attracted local and international development Partners at the National Authorizing Office tower Hill in Freetown.
According to major stakeholders present during that meeting, the housing Sector Strategy Paper was geared to illuminate challenges affecting the sector.
Studies has shown that urbanization in Africa has largely been translated into rising slum establishments, and Sierra Leone is no exception, as housing supply has been fraught by the difficulty in accessing mortgage finance, and institutional developers have been targeting the high end, leaving behind the middle and low end to individual household funding, which is not good, and the current housing deficit in Sierra Leone is projected in Freetown at 900,000.
The Sierra Leone Housing Construction Local Materials Production Center, which was located along the Bai Bureh new road, has been sold to private individuals, which is very sad for our beloved country. That site was established for the production of local building materials to construct Low Cost Housing Units for citizens in order to help address challenges faced by Sierra Leoneans.
The accessibility and Availability of affordable housing units is a fundamental basic unit of Life, His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio had stated during his address at the state opening of Parliament during his first term, and made commitment to construct affordable Housing units for Sierra Leoneans at all level under the New Direction Initiatives.
There is a great need for the government to emback on constructing affordable housing units for less privileged citizens, and it is no secret that affordable housing units construction would help to transform Sierra Leone housing sector, while calling for strong collaboration among state actors, noting that the then Drafted Housing Sector Strategy Paper would lead to National Development Housing Structure for implementation. The government can make use of the money the ACC revoveref form past corrupt officials if they are determined to kick start such a laudable project in the interest of National Development, and the pilot phase of such project should start with the Western Area rural or urban District.
Citing the challenges faced on the need for Affordable Housing, Madam Mariam Kamara from Culvert Slum Community revealed that they are faced with all the threats of life, and during the rainy season, living in a slum is very challenging. Madam Kamara called on the government and development partners to help citizens with the construction of affordable housing units to help address the housing deficit in the Country.