Housing

ZAMBIA HOUSING KEY FIGURES

The National Housing Authority puts Zambia’s housing deficit at approximately 1.5 million units, a gap the government is addressing through public-private partnerships including a 10,000-unit mixed-use development agreement with Namibia’s Ongos Valley Development and a prefabricated concrete panel housing factory in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone.

Real estate activities contributed 4.04% of Zambia’s GDP in 2025, growing 3.7% in real terms, under a National Housing Policy 2020-2024 committed to affordable, quality, safe and decent housing for every Zambian.

The Housing Deficit

The National Housing Authority’s Acting Chief Executive Officer put Zambia’s national housing deficit at approximately 1.5 million units, describing new prefabrication technology as a timely response to both the country’s affordability and supply challenges^[1].

Public-Private Housing Initiatives

In early 2026, the National Housing Authority and Ongos Valley Development of Namibia signed a Memorandum of Agreement to develop 10,000 mixed-use property units across the country under a public-private partnership model, with Ongos Valley Development mobilising finance, undertaking construction, and delivering bulk infrastructure including water, sewerage and power^[2]. Separately, the National Housing Authority partnered with China Jiangsu International Corporation to build a prefabricated concrete panel housing factory in the Lusaka South Multi-Facility Economic Zone, operating under Zambia National Shelter Green Housing Production Limited, using technology the Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development said significantly reduces construction time and cost^[1].

Policy Framework

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary described the Ongos Valley signing as marking the shift “from planning and consultation to the implementation of a transformative programme,” while the NHA Board Chairperson framed it as delivering on the National Housing Policy 2020-2024’s commitment to affordable, quality, safe and decent housing for every Zambian^[2][3].

Real Estate Sector Size

Real estate activities contributed 4.04% of Zambia’s nominal GDP in 2025, growing 3.7% in real terms over the year^[4].

Investment Opportunities

Two distinct entry points stand out from the government’s own recent activity: large-scale mixed-use development on the Ongos Valley model, and modular or prefabricated housing manufacturing aimed directly at the affordability gap the NHA has identified^[1][2]. Both are explicitly structured as public-private partnerships rather than government-only builds, and both are aimed squarely at the 1.5 million unit deficit rather than higher-end segments of the market, a gap far larger than the sector’s current 4.04% GDP share on its own could close, detailed further on the dedicated Real Estate page^[1][4].

Last Update: September 2026

References

1. Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Zambia’s Housing Vision Begins to Materialise
2. Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, NHA and Ongos Valley Development Sign Landmark Agreement
3. Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, National Housing Policy 2020-2024
4. Zambia Statistics Agency, Final Annual GDP release, sectoral data