Angola - Housing

Decades of war and lack of appropriate economic and legal reforms have posed a serious housing problem in Angola. During the war for independence, a majority of the Portuguese residents abandoned homes that were then confiscated by the government. In fact, all urban land is considered to be property of the State. But management and adminsitration of dwellings is under the control of provincial governments and leasing or other housing and property regulations are ambiguos or nonexistent. As a result, a recent UN report indicates that about 90% of urban residents live in settlements without a clearly defined legal status. Most live in multi-family dwellings that were constructed in the 1960s and have since deteriorated to the point that basic utilities are limited or unavailable.

Over the years, the government has made some efforts to ease the situation. The most recent has included government sponsored housing construction projects. In April 2003, 331 houses were completed in Kilamba-Kiaxi. At least 65 of them were given to government employees and other civil servants. It is estimated that a total of 800 houses and 1,664 flats will be completed by December 2003. The government may soon be receiving support from UN-Habitat, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements.