Background

In 2007, the Government of Tanzania embarked on drafting their second Housing Policy since Independence. The Policy has been in draft form for the last three years and has yet to be adopted by Parliament. One of the reasons is the lack of up-to-date knowledge in important areas of the current draft. The Government of Tanzania has enlisted the assistance of UN-Habitat to prepare the Urban Housing Sector Profile to fill these gaps and comprehensively inform the finalization of the Policy. As in other countries in the region, the public sector of Tanzania has not been successful at delivering affordable and sufficient housing for the urban poor. Faced with a high urbanization rate, lack of housing finance, inadequate institutional and legal/regulatory frameworks, inappropriate building standards, a weak tax collection system, and inadequate planning for housing development, the housing sector has been unable to meet the demand for adequate and affordable shelter. According to the Minister of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, more than 30 per cent of urban dwellers in Tanzania are living in dilapidated houses, 70 per cent are living in unplanned and un-serviced areas, almost 50 per cent of the houses in the country are grass thatched, 75 per cent lack a proper base and 50 per cent have no sanitation facilities. An Urban Housing Sector Profile can offer a comprehensive review of the housing delivery system and make recommendations for the national housing policy and more effective housing provision and the potential to generate the missing knowledge and inform for the finalisation of the Housing Policy. The preparation of the Housing profile provides a unique opportunity for UN-HABITAT to play a visible and constructive role in establishing an enabling housing policy framework in Tanzania.

Objectives

The Government of Tanzania will have the missing knowledge and recommended priority actions for successful completion of the National Housing Policy and design of an implementation strategy for the Policy. 

Target group

Tanzanians, urban poor