By Mohamed Fofanah.
The Government of Sierra Leone has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Pan African real estate development company TAF Africa Global to construct affordable housing units with mortgage financing to address the huge housing deficit in the country.
Speaking at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning in Freetown on Tuesday, the Minister, Dr Turad Senesie announced that the focus of the Ministry has changed from its usual land distribution to country planning and affordable housing in new urban communities for public servants, with the project, starting in Freetown later this year.
Dr Senesie said there is a complete distortion of the country planning outlook of cities and towns, with the absence of good roads in the communities, absence of sewage disposal, power, and water supplies because these utilities are not considered when constructing houses.
He said once it commences, the project will be expected to provide employment opportunities for locals, enhance tenure security for both land and property, boost tourism, whilst investment tax will be paid to Government, thus increasing domestic revenue generation.
TAF Africa Global has envisioned developing one million affordable quality homes within 20 years across the continent, and Dr. Senesie said the New Direction-led Government wants Sierra Leone to be part of the building Africa agenda with smart cities.
The company has a presence in eight African countries with dominance in two: Nigeria and The Gambia, according to the CEO, Mustapha Njie. He said their vision is to transform the continent’s landscape with world-class quality and affordable estates, using African expertise.
He also said they will provide employment opportunities for local contractors during their work and as well as training and career opportunities to develop and enhance their skills.
On its website, the company says it is partnering with well-qualified architects such as SVA (South Africa) and Reid Steel (structural engineers based in the United Kingdom) to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their designs.
