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KARIBA, Jul. 29 (NewsDay Live) – The government has reaffirmed its target of delivering one million housing units by 2030, with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities calling for faster implementation, stronger coordination and increased resource mobilisation to meet the ambitious goal.
The commitment was made during the ministry’s Midterm Strategic Plan Review Workshop in Kariba, which brought together ministry officials and Mashonaland West provincial leadership to align national housing targets with devolution priorities.
Addressing delegates, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Paul Mavhima said the review was an opportunity to assess progress, identify shortcomings and refocus efforts.
“To achieve the goals and objectives we set at the beginning of the year, it cannot happen by accident. It must be deliberate. We must commit to execution and we must work as a team,” Mavhima said.
He said the ministry must honestly assess areas where progress has lagged and identify the resources and strategies required to accelerate delivery.
“As a ministry, we have a monumental task before us: to deliver one million houses by 2030. That must remain our primary goal. We must ask: What needs to be done? What resources must we mobilise? What human effort must we put in place to achieve that target?” he said.
Mavhima said the ministry’s mandate extends beyond meeting numerical targets to ensuring Zimbabweans have access to decent housing and sustainable human settlements.
“We are a ministry entrusted with the delivery of decent housing and sustainable human settlements. This is an immense responsibility that ensures every citizen has access to adequate, proper and quality housing,” he said.
He urged directors, engineers and finance teams to develop practical solutions to address bottlenecks in land servicing, project financing and implementation.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of State for Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Marian Chombo, Provincial Affairs Permanent Secretary Josphat Jaji said the province was aligning development projects with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 through the devolution agenda.
“The devolution agenda is about bringing development closer to the people. As a province, we remain committed to ensuring that no one and no place is left behind,” Jaji said on behalf of Chombo.
Chombo said Mashonaland West had recorded progress in expanding social infrastructure, including accommodation for public servants.
“The construction of staff housing for civil servants in the province is almost complete. We are also prioritising the scoping of new projects to ensure that teachers, health workers and learners have proper accommodation and facilities,” she said.
She identified the Harare-Chirundu Highway rehabilitation project as a strategic priority for the province, calling for accelerated resource mobilisation to ensure its implementation under the National Development Strategy 2.
“We therefore call for the expediting of resource mobilisation for the implementation of the Border Highway Project so that it benefits all districts,” she said.
Mavhima said the workshop should produce a clear implementation roadmap with defined timelines, budgets and accountability mechanisms.
“Let us use this workshop to identify the gaps, re-align our efforts and ensure that the revised strategies emerging here directly translate into houses on the ground for our people,” he said.
The workshop was attended by officials from the Office of the President and Cabinet, the Public Service Commission, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Ministry of Public Works, and senior technical staff from the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities.
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