KIGALI City needs at least 344,068 new housing units over the next ten years to accommodate the rapidly growing population, according to a new report by the city council.The report, released yesterday, indicates that half of the 223,000 houses in Kigali are in good shape, 32 per cent in dire need of upgrading, while the rest are low quality structures in slums that need to be replaced.With an annual population growth rate of 5.7 per cent, Kigali City Council projects the population of the country’s capital to rise from the current 1.1 million to two million by 2022.The new report, from a housing demand market survey, includes data for the demand and supply of houses in the city and gives a breakdown of the size and shape of family apartments to be built by 2022 as well as those that are in need of renovation.During its launch, the City mayor, Fidel Ndayisaba, said that being at the centre of the country’s development, Kigali needed to compliment its fast-growing economy and population by employing a systematic approach to affordable housing for all the people residing in the city.“A key element for sustainable growth of Kigali is the provision of decent housing for all. To that end, we are committed to ensuring the availability of financing, land, utilities and building materials and an adequate regulatory framework,” Ndayisaba said.He said the KCC was embarking on a bold development vision which will be based not only on constructing buildings, but also ensuring that residents live comfortably in good quality low-cost houses.“For this to happen, close to 2,562 hactares of residential land is required, which might prove a challenge considering that people will need to be evicted for land development,” said Donna Rubinoff, Kigali City Senior Advisor in Urban Planning.Rubinoff noted that the survey “provides us with the tools we need to overcome such challenges, illuminate the Kigali housing market and build not just houses but quality neighbourhoods for all citizens”.Other than land shortage, KCC projects an investment of about US$2.5 billion for it to increase the rate of housing construction.“Current supply of houses is about 1,000 units per year; this is very low compared to an estimated demand of 35,000 new residential houses annually,” the report states.The real estate sector welcomed the survey and urged for more cooperation with the government.“We always want to base our investment decisions on research and are happy that the survey is out and detailed. However, this shows that, more than ever before, the government needs to increase cooperation with the real estate sector because the target is high and needs a lot of attention and dialogue,” Charles Haba, the president of the Real Estate Association of Rwanda, told The New Times.A recent report by the World Urban Forum – established by the United Nations to examine rapid urbanisation and its impact on communities, cities, economies, climate change and policies – says that by the end of the current decade, 24 of the world’s 30 fastest growing cities will be in Africa.“Kigali has a great master plan and has won several international awards,” urban planner Lama Mugabo told The New Times recently.Kigali is among least developed but fastest growing cities on the continent.The World Urban Forum report says that between 2010 and 2030, the urban population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double, from about 300 to 600 million.
