The Angolan population is young—almost half are under the age of 15—and the demand for affordable housing will remain very high for the foreseeable future. As a result, the Angolan government has imposed extensive regulation on the land, housing and financial sectors, with the intent of making housing more affordable for low income residents. A multitude of projects have been launched over the last decade within this context, particularly near Angola’s capital, Luanda. However, ambitious new town proposals have also been planned for other regions of the country. Lubango, the capital of Angola’s Huila region in the south is home to the largest of these projects outside the periphery of the capital. Here, homes have been listed for about US$80,000 for a three-bedroom apartment. These properties have typically been sold with 20-year mortgages at three-percent interest rates, or roughly US$390 per month—a cost unaffordable for the average Angolan. Compounding this lack of financial accessibility is the lack of public transport between these peripheral housing areas and job-centers.
