UN, govt renew push for adequate housing
DODOMA: THE United Nations in Tanzania and UN-Habitat have renewed their commitment to ensuring adequate housing for all in Tanzania, calling for stronger partnerships, investment and better urban planning as the country faces rapid population growth and expanding cities.
Speaking during the commemoration of World Habitat Day in Dodoma on Monday, UN Resident Coordinator in Tanzania Susan Namondo, whose speech was read on her behalf by UN-Habitat Resident Coordinator Grace Lubaale, said adequate housing must be treated as a human right and a foundation for dignity, health, security and opportunity.
“A home is more than a roof. It is where dignity begins,” Ms Namondo said, stressing that adequate housing must include secure tenure, safe water, sanitation, sufficient space, affordability and protection from climate risks, as well as access to schools, healthcare, transport and livelihoods.
The UN estimates that more than three billion people globally lack adequate housing, while more than 1.1 billion live in informal settlements. In Tanzania, the challenge is being intensified by rapid population growth and urbanisation.
Adequate housing means having a safe, secure, and dignified place to live that goes beyond just a basic roof over your head. According to the UN, Tanzania’s population rose from about 19 million in 1980 to 61 million in 2020, with the 2022 Population and Housing Census recording 61.7 million people.
The share of the population living in urban areas rose to 34.9 per cent in 2022, and is projected to reach 49 per cent by 2040. Ms Lubaale said UNHabitat’s partnership with Tanzania was already supporting sustainable mobility, climate-resilient water and sanitation services, waste management, settlement upgrading and better-planned urban growth.
He said the 2026–2030 Country Programme Strategy would take the partnership further by creating an integrated platform for sustainable urban transformation, focusing on planned urban growth, land management, affordable housing, settlement upgrading, climate resilience, sustainable mobility, urban data and investment-ready programmes.
“We must build cities where growth is planned, housing is adequate, neighbourhoods are resilient and no person or place is left behind,” Mr Lubaale said.
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Land, Housing and Human Settlements Development Minister Dr Leonard Akwilapo said the government was equally committed to ensuring Tanzanians had safe, affordable and resilient housing, emphasising that housing policy must address not only buildings but also land, infrastructure, basic services and economic opportunities.
He said the government was reviewing the 2000 National Human Settlements Development Policy while prioritising faster issuance of title deeds, improved landuse planning, formalisation of unplanned settlements and greater private-sector participation in affordable housing.
Dr Akwilapo said adequate housing could not be delivered by government alone, but required collaboration among communities, the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, academia and international organisations.
The UN estimates Tanzania faces a housing shortfall of about three million homes, with demand increasing by roughly 200,000 homes annually.
As Tanzania enters a period of rapid urban transformation, the UN said the choices made today would determine whether future cities become places of exclusion and vulnerability or engines of inclusive prosperity.
