The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has a deficit of more than four million housing units to meet the needs of its growing population. To deal with this situation, President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi has decided to relaunch the social housing policy in the DRC. A triple reform, supported by the technical and financial partners of Bretton Woods, has therefore been put in place to respond to the challenges linked to the scarcity of housing and the disappearance of the National Savings and Property Loans Fund (CNECI) created in 1971, as well as the National Housing Office (ONEL).
Three public establishments were therefore created – the Congolese Real Estate Promotion Agency (ACOPRIM), the National Housing Front (FONAN) and the One-Stop Shop for Building Permits (GUPEC). ACOPRIM is responsible for the construction of decent housing, the management and rehabilitation of the real estate assets of the private domains of the State. FONAN is a social and financial lever, responsible for collecting the necessary funds to build housing and respond to various requests for funding in the field of housing. As for the GUPEC, it is the technical regulatory body and the only interface between the property developer and the State. It makes it possible to fight against the leakage of revenues, to reduce the administrative procedures for obtaining documents relating to construction and to fight against anarchic constructions.
The Congolese government has instructed the members concerned to provide positive support for these new structures to quickly provide the Congolese population with dignified and decent housing.
It should be noted that in the absence of a coherent strategy from the public authorities, the population has built housing without respecting town planning rules. In large Congolese cities, there are many neighborhoods with housing that does not meet standards. In addition, during heavy rains, these dwellings are washed away, causing enormous human damage.
The implementation of these new structures, if it is positive, could therefore improve people’s effective access to decent, affordable housing and build the regulatory framework for the decent housing sector which had remained under the aegis of the anarchy since the disappearance of the CNECI and the ONEL. This initiative will therefore not fail to contribute to reducing the deficit of more than four million housing units in the DRC.