The Ongos Valley project, situated at Farm Ongos No. 38, is expected to provide accommodation for about 114 800 people as Windhoek grapples with a growing housing shortage and expanding informal settlements. The project is one of two City of Windhoek monitoring projects under development agreements, covering a combined 1 743 hectares. According to a report by the parliamentary standing committee on urban and rural development and land reform, the Ongos Valley development forms part of efforts to address a national housing backlog estimated at approximately 300 000 units.
Windhoek's population stood at 486 186 in the 2023 National Population and Housing Census and was projected to reach 519 670 in 2025. The population living in informal settlements was projected at 262 418 in 2025, with the number of households reaching 55 126. By November 2025, there were 55 957 informal structures in Windhoek's informal settlements. The national target is to construct 50 000 houses, with half of the target, or 25 000 houses, allocated to Windhoek.
The capital is expected to deliver 5 000 houses a year between 2025 and 2030. However, the City of Windhoek's housing and land-servicing targets have been affected by funding constraints. For the 2025/26 financial year, the city planned to service 700 erven in greenfield developments at an approved budget of N$227 million, but only N$86.5 million was allocated.
The allocation reduced the target to 267 erven. In brownfield developments, the city targeted 3 150 erven at a budget of N$745 million, but received N$141 million. The city also planned to construct 500 houses through its Council Affordable Housing Programme at a budget of N$275 million, but received N$34.6 million.
Under its Informal Settlement Affordable Housing Programme, it planned 300 houses at a budget of N$90 million, but was allocated N$42 million. The housing pressure is also evident in other major urban centres, such as Oshakati, which had a population of 58 696 in the 2023 Census and an annual growth rate of 4.369%.
Oshakati covers 56.3 square kilometres and has about 10 685 properties on its valuation roll, while its informal settlement has about 5 956 households or properties. The Oshakati Town Council revived its Decentralised Build Together Programme in 2021 to assist applicants earning less than N$6 000 a month.
In October 2021, 100 residential plots in Onawa Extension 8 were allocated under the programme. Similarly, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Rundu are also experiencing rapid population growth, with the census estimating the population at about 145 000, 75 000, and 118 625 respectively.
Key points
- The Ongos Valley project aims to deliver 28 000 housing units over 15-20 years.
- Windhoek's population is projected to reach 519 670 in 2025.
- The national target is to construct 50 000 houses, with 25 000 houses allocated to Windhoek.
