In 2009, Cameroon allocated US$50.1 million to fund the construction of 10,000 social housing units, along with the development of 50,000 buildable plots. However, by 2015 only 1,175 of the units were built – and 80% of the country’s population still couldn’t afford these units, with prices far outside the typical price-to-income range. The government also attempted to engage informal sector small-scale contractors for the social housing program, but had mixed results, as many of the contractors suffered from inadequate technical and financial support, meaning some of the project sites have stalled.
Though there has been government investment in expanding affordable housing, subsidies have not been effective at reaching low-income populations because they are still too small to allow people to buy or rent based on market conditions. There, of course, is no single way to improving the effectiveness of subsidies – but it is clear that taking a country’s specific context and housing value chains into account is essential.
Source:
World Bank Group. (2015) Stocktaking of the Housing Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa : Challenges and Opportunities. World Bank, Washington, DC.
Link: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/7d780350-c353-5ce4-93cd-37b6cafc0f38