The Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) has won the 2019 SDI Community-Led Habitat Award

The partnership was made possible through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), that was signed between NUST and SDFN/NHAG in 2015, which has enabled a number of projects.

The award was introduced by a coalition of international organisations, including World Habitat, urbaMonde, Co-Housing Network and Shack Dwellers International (SDI).

NUST and its partners entered the awards with a submission titled: ‘A Multiple Partnership Approach for Community-led Housing and Services in Namibia.’
“Some of the programmes took place in Freedom Square, an informal settlement in Gobabis. This created awareness amongst the community regarding their development needs and facilitated interaction between community and the local authority. Freedom Square is arguably the largest informal settlement upgrading in the country today, and it is remarkable that, this is being done in an inclusive way through a partnership approach. Young professionals are able to acquire new tools to contribute to urban development in an inclusive and innovative way,” remarked Guillermo Delgado, Programme Coordinator at NUST’s Integrated Land Management Institute.

“Such partnerships are highly beneficial for NUST students, who are the country’s future professionals and have a key role to play in shaping Namibia’s urban sector,” he added.

Lecturers and students from various Departments at NUST have taken part in these projects, among them town planners, surveyors, architects and land administrators.
This is an example of a partnership that brings together disciplines within the university.

During last year’s 2nd National Land Conference, President Hage Geingob, stated that the situation in informal settlements is a humanitarian crisis that needs urgent intervention. NUST, together with its partners, is therefore taking part in addressing this situation, in a manner that is internationally recognised.