By Awa Sowe
Putting homeownership back within reach of the low income earners and breaking the rent trap are core goals of the Government of The Gambia. The Government is acting firmly to expand the options for those currently facing affordability constraints in buying a house with an unprecedented level of financial commitment.
These affordable measures will make house ownership achievable for many individuals and families in the near-term and will reduce the rental pressures on thousands of hard-pressed middle income earners. Short-term measures will support people immediately, allowing for longer-term measures to take hold.
The Government is significantly increasing its investment in affordable housing. The affordable housing measures will contribute to a more developed, responsive and appropriate housing system that offers people real choice at affordable levels when they need it.
The government has recently announced that it is planning to initiate an affordable housing scheme to address the issue of housing in the country.
The Minister of Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs, Amat NK Bah, has disclosed that the government under the leadership of President Adama Barrow, will be initiating ‘affordable housing scheme’ in the country as the Government wants to build affordable houses for Gambians with long-term mortgages of 25 to 30 years, and the rent being paid will now be going to the cost of the house. “So you are not paying rent to any businessman who will be enriching himself,” Minister Bah explained during a press briefing held at the ministry’s conference hall in Banjul.
He added that government is already working on factors to making this plan a reality.
“The Minister of Finance, Seedy Keita, has already reached out to International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assist us set up a mortgage bank in the country. IMF is very willing to come up with the assistance,” he said. “Directorate of Housing will be moved from Physical Planning to Lands Ministry. The Gambia government will set up a technical committee comprising permanent secretaries from other government departments that will be led by the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Lands, Saffie Dankareh-Farage,” he added.
Hon. Bah says the government is confident of receiving international financiers for this project soon to come up in the country as preliminary discussions were very fruitful. “What we need now is to come up with design to know the cost.”
He added that the government plans to start the state-of-the-art project with thousands of houses by December 2025.
“We want to start between 5000 and 10,000 houses by December 2025, and that will certainly address the issue of housing in the country. We need 200,000 houses for this project,” he revealed. “That’s why the issue of land management is important. Where are we going to implement such projects when we allow people to abuse the lands?”
He said the government was standing firm to protect the lands from abusers and to do land banking, an area of land held in reserve by government, for any further development projects.
“I don’t believe in giving lands to people, particularly those who can’t develop them. You end up impoverishing and enriching others for no reason,” the Minister observed.
Hon. Bah said the government has made highly pathetic discoveries after their findings about the life of civil servants after retirement and other circumstances.
“We discovered very sad things; some of the low-earning civil servants after serving the country for so many years into retirement they don’t have anywhere to stay. Some in the army after retirement cannot leave the barracks because they have nowhere to go. This is a serious disaster that we need to address,” he narrated. “We discovered that some after their demise, their family will be given notice to vacate the rental houses on very short notice because they were not able to pay the rent. We feel this must be addressed. The only way to address such is by creating an affordable housing scheme in the country,” he added.
He called for concerted efforts by citizens so as to help the government realise the project. He said the government could not do it alone without the participation of the citizens.
