LIBERIA LOW INCOME HOUSING
DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Presented By: ROBERT S. BESTMAN, II
Assistant Minister for
Urban Affairs
Republic of Liberia
The Country Liberia
 Liberia is a nation in transition following a protracted period of a
devastating internal armed conflict.
 Currently, Liberia has the population of about 3.7 million , which
2.2 millions are urban inhabitants. Urban population. growth rate
is estimated at 5.6% per annual which indicates that most Liberian
now reside in urban centers. Hence, urban housing remain a
major challenge in Liberia.
Programs initiated by Government to address the housing
needs include but not limited to:
 Liberia Rising 2030 and the Agenda for Transformation (AFT),
which articulate the broad national aspiration to be achieved by
2030 and provide a medium term growth and development in the
“transformation of Liberia into a middle-income country with
equal opportunities and access to all by the year 2030”.
VISION 2030 -Agenda for Transformation
The Agenda for Transformation (Republic of Liberia)
sets out how government intends to move the country
forward from war through recovery
and
reconstruction to inclusive growth and wealth creation
to become a Middle Income Country by 2030.
The Agenda for Transformation (AFT) specific housing
objectives are:
Expanding access to affordable housing for low income
earners.
Improving housing policy, clarifying public and private-sector
roles and assuring affordability and community participation.
Housing: Low Income Housing in Liberia
Housing is a basic human need and a major determinant of
social and economic development for Liberia’s post conflict
recovery program.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) was established by the
government of Liberia to attend to the housing needs of our
population.
 However, mush attention has not be adequate to the housing
sector in the past, since the civil conflict due to the country’s
low budget envelope at the overall. This has lead to an increase
in rental for the less available (Housing) in urban areas.
Cont.
The housing stock is inadequate and generally poor
and the proportion of the population living in urban
slums is on the rise
Currently, there is a policy and strategies being
develop to pursue housing development on a sound
and sustained basis.
 Given this state of housing and human settlements in
my Country, the government of Liberia has embarked
on a mission to re-invent and re-position the
government institution (NHA) to meet the housing
development needs of a post, conflict Liberia
undergoing re-construction and renewal.
LIBERIA’S HOUSING STRATEGIC DIRECTION
 The government of Liberia through the NHA has
purposefully chosen to pursue over the next five years
(2013 – 2017), a plan that seeks to achieve the
following strategic objectives through the identified
core actions:
Housing Development Policy and Strategy
Housing Development Finance
Standards for Housing
Land for Housing Development
Construction Technology
Town/City Planning
Cost & Implementation
Cost of Low Income Housing Plan
Total cost of the Plan is put at US$6,665,000 (Six million, Six
Hundred Sixty Five Thousand United States Dollars) over the
five year period.
The Government of Liberia is expected to make a substantial
contribution of 30% (1,999,500) towards this cost.
The goodwill of donors and bilateral partners is solicited to
underwrite the balance 70%, (4,665,500) to buttress the efforts
of government in ensuring the full implementation of the plan.
Detail Analysis on Housing Project
No.
Cost Centre
Estimated
Cost (US$)
100,000
1
Development of a Housing Policy and Strategy
2
Housing Development Finance
3
Standard for Housing
335,000
4
Land for Housing Development
650,000
5
Construction Technology
6
Town/City Planning
7
Institutional Development
8
Plan Implementation
Total
1,810,000
1,525,000
420,000
1,225,000
235,000
6,665,000
Resource Mobilization
The Plan is expected to be financed by the Government of
Liberia, through budgetary and other support to the National
Housing Authority, and support from international donors and
development partners.
It is estimated that the Government will initially commit
US$2 million over the next three (3) years to this effort.
To guide the entire process of resource mobilization, the NHA
will develop and implement a resource mobilization strategy that
will seek funding from both local and external funding sources.
Achievements of Urban housing in Liberia
The Liberia Government through the National Housing Authority,
between 1962 and 1984, developed and implemented a number of
housing programs in Liberia to address urban housing needs of
our growing urban population.
As the following matrix shows, these housing investments
amounted to US$39.6 million and produced 1,789 housing units
and 600 plots for low-cost housing development.
Matrix on Low Income Housing Units
Housing Projects
Year of
Construction
No. of
Units
Investment
Cost (in US$)
Source of Funding
New Kru Town
1962
25
125,000
Amilcar Cabral
1973/74
72
1,117,782
Stephen A. Tolbert
E. J. Goodridge
1975/79
1976/77
442
604
7,598,682
9,385,315
Int’l Trust Company
(ITC)
GoL/Gov’t of
Norway
Gov’t of Norway
Gov’t of Liberia
New Georgia
1978/79
263
1,852,798
GoL/Citibank
Old Matadi
1978/80
191
11,732,600
USAID
West Point
1980
32
1,054,000
USAID
Sites/Services
1982/86
600 plots
2,206,000
USAID
New Matadi
1984
72
3,000,000
LPRC
Buchanan
2011/12
10
178,166.66
NOCAL
Voinjama
2011/12
10
178,166.66
NOCAL
Sanniquellie
2011/12
10
178,166.66
NOCAL
Brewerville
2012/13
58
1,000,000
NASSCORP
Land available for Low Cost Housing Unit
№
County
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15
Total
Montserrado (Rural)
Grand Bassa
Sinoe
Grand Cape Mount
Bong
Margibi
Grand Geddeh
Nimba
Lofa
Grand Kru
Maryland
Rivercess
Gbarpolu
River Gee
Bomi
Total Land Acquisition
Mandated (in acres)
Actual Land
Acquired
(in acres)
Current Shortfall
(in acres)
700
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
300
4,900
550
52
0
0
0
398
50
10
10
0
0
0
0
0
15
1,085
150
248
300
300
300
+98
250
290
290
300
300
300
300
300
285
3,717
CHALLENGES
Low funding for operations and investment in social
housing plus sites and services infrastructure
Lack of investment in sites and services infrastructure as is
done in other neighbouring countries has shifted the
interest of serious housing sector investors to those
countries.
Long term funding for mortgage financing. Up to 2012,
very little long-term lending activity has occurred in the
Liberian financial system with the average tenor of loans
being less than 3 years.
Cont.
The urban setting capacity in Liberia and access to
resources have suffered seriously as a result of the
numerous civil conflicts in Liberia since the late 70s,
particularly the 14-year civil war (1989 to 2003).
Efforts to reverse the situation have been limited due to
lack of funding to recruit, develop, and maintain the level
of skills and experience needed to make the entity more
responsive to its mandate.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The plan will lend itself to continuous monitoring and
learning from experiences. Progress reports will be
derived from semi-annual reviews.
The plan will be externally evaluated to gauge its
effectiveness and adjusted where necessary.
 Finally, a mechanism will be put into place to capture
relevant data and information based on identified
indicators, verifiers, and sources of information.
Practical View of an ongoing Urban Housing project
Brewerville Site Project
Beginning Stage
Completion Stage
Eco-Homes Liberia
A housing construction company involved in construction
of low income earners home in Liberia
Construction Site on the Roberts International
Airport high-way
Thanks.
Liberia welcomes the intervention of all foreign
partners to the ongoing development initiatives