Story by Wellington Makonese
ZIMBABWE has increased its shareholding in Shelter Afrique to five percent, a move government officials say will unlock cheaper financing, lower construction costs, and accelerate housing delivery under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
The increased stake, up from 1.25 percent, positions the country to access significantly higher levels of long-term, low-interest funding for housing and infrastructure development at a time when demand for affordable accommodation continues to outstrip supply.
Under NDS2, launched earlier this year, the Government has set an ambitious target of delivering an additional one million housing units nationwide, spanning both urban and rural areas.
Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Honourable Zhemu Soda, said the enhanced investment in Shelter Afrique strengthens Zimbabwe’s capacity to mobilise capital for large-scale projects.
“We are going to accelerate support to the private sector by facilitating access to funding through institutions such as Shelter Afrique. Our shareholding, which used to be 1.25%, is now at 5%. What this entails is that if we were previously able to access US$60 million, we can now access much more, which falls directly into our NDS2 targets,” he said.
The move is expected to bridge the current housing backlog by offering low-interest loans to local developers.
“We want to expedite the conclusion of our framework on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), especially regarding housing delivery. We are in active consultation with potential players to ensure we create win-win situations on commercial joint ventures,” Minister Soda said.
As Zimbabwe transitions fully into NDS2, officials say strengthening international financial partnerships remains central to translating policy ambitions into tangible housing outcomes for citizens.
