SSHFC HOUSING PROJECTS/PROGRAMMES

The SSHFC was established by The Gambia Government through an Act of Parliament in 1981 comprising two Funds:

1. The Social Security and;
2. The Housing Finance Fund

The Housing Finance Fund is mandated to alleviate the shelter problems of the low, middle and upper-income group of the Gambian citizenry.

Since its establishment in 1981, the SSHFC secured land and developed housing estates successfully as follows:

The Bakoteh Housing Project (1980 – 1983)

The Gambia Government’s first foray into mass housing development, a turn-key project of 200 units of 134 two-bedroom and 66 three-bedroom houses ranging from 397.5 to 562.5 m² with an average plot size of 480 m² (16 x 30m). The infrastructure works provided under this project comprise laterite roads, a water distribution network, underground electricity distribution network, and a centralized sewerage system.

Kanifing East Site and Services Scheme (1985 – 1989)

An Urban Management and Development project (UMDP) Housing component of the World Bank funded site and services scheme comprising 743 plots. The 34 hectares was demarcated into plots ranging in size from 250m² to 350m². The beneficiaries of the scheme then had income ranging from D195.00 to 916.00 per month with over 50% earning less than D500.00 per month (1985/86). Small construction loans ranging from D10, 700 to D25, 300 were then given to the project beneficiaries who were then guided in the construction of their own houses. The loan was a part of the World Bank Urban Management and Development Project and was provided to The Gambia government at 5% rate of interest. The government then provided the loan to SSHFC at 7% rate of interest. The SSHFC in turn on lent to the beneficiaries at 9% interest rate over a 25-year repayment period. The total loan for the KESS project was D19 million.

Brusubi Housing Project (1995 – 2003)

As stated in the previous narrative, one of the factors affecting the supply of adequate housing is access to land. Therefore, when SSHFC realized that the KESS project was coming to a close in December 1992, it immediately embarked upon acquiring land for its third and next housing project. Numerous applications were made to the then Ministry for Local Government and Lands from 1990 to 1993 to no avail. It was not until the intervention of the then Head of State of the First Republic that the Brusubi Layout Plan was finally allocated to SSHFC in early 1994. The Layout was formally transferred to SSHFC by the former Government in 1995.
The project was developed in two phases which was later granted more land for extension based on high demand for shelter.

BRUSUBI PHASE I: comprises 1006 Residential Serviced Plots, BRUSUBI PHASE I Ext 66 complete housing units, 39 residential Serviced plots.
BRUSUBI PHASE 2: comprises 605 Residential Serviced plots, 100 Core housing units, 100 complete housing units and 36 Business plots respectively.
BRUSUBI PHASE II Ext. comprises of 735 Residential plots

Tujereng, Jabang and Brikama Jamisa Housing Projects

These are the current projects being implemented by the Housing Department.
The Tujereng Project comprises 1515 residential plots, 11 Business plots 94 plots earmarked for the development of complete housing units. The Jabang Project has a total of 817 residential plots, 29 Business plots and 39 plots reserved for the development of complete housing units. The Brikama Jamisa Project is composed of 354 residential plots, 42 Business Plots and 70 Plots set aside for complete housing units.

Land Bank Sites

In view of the Government’s drive to transform the country into a city-state, Housing Department has banked sites in 26 Growth Centres across the Country, in addition to the Kanifing Industrial Site, for housing and real estate development in the short, medium and long-term.

PROPOSED AND ONGOING PROJECTS

The Corporation has prime land in BRUSUBI for proposed development.

CONCLUSION

In view of the above, the Government of the Gambia came up with the necessary legislation framework to further support the housing and real estate programmes in a bid to increase housing stock and also to make it affordable to the average Gambian.