A Chinese group is building a condominium with 6,000 flats on the outskirts of Maputo, a housing project for young people, which was launched this Wednesday, 2 April, by the Mozambican President, valued at 2 billion dollars, the Lusa news agency reported .
The project, located next to the Costa do Sol neighbourhood, is already being built by the Chinese company Phoenix International Group, based in Hong Kong. The development is the result of a strategic partnership between the government and the private sector and should be completed in two and a half years.
‘The project will create around 25,000 jobs during the maximum period of its implementation, making a significant contribution to reducing poverty among the families involved and especially in the surrounding areas, where 1,500 people have already benefited, in this initial phase, from compensation for the improvements made by the company and for clearing the land,’ said Daniel Chapo, speaking at the launch of the Fénix housing project.
The Mozambican President explained that the private development aims to ‘build a housing community of a conventional standard, aimed essentially at young people, with an international and modern standard’.
The project will create around 25,000 jobs during the maximum period of its implementation, contributing significantly to poverty reduction in the families involved and especially in the surrounding areas (…)
‘The main aim of this policy is to facilitate the provision of adequate housing and a healthy living environment for our youth at an affordable cost to all social groups, especially young people, by promoting quality but low-cost housing. That’s why this project involves around 6,000 houses or flats of various types, so that everyone, depending on their purchasing power, can live in a decent home,’ he said.
The head of state emphasised that the new government’s housing policy, which has been in place since January, ‘envisages promoting and facilitating’ national and foreign investment to build housing complexes accessible to all segments of the population, ‘including low-income groups’.
‘Our vision and objective is to replicate this type of housing, or even more appropriate housing, in each location and according to the purchasing power of each region, throughout the country, during this five-year term (which began in January) that the people have entrusted us to lead,’ he said.
Daniel Chapo emphasised that the company responsible for the project ‘has experience’ in this type of development in Africa: ‘We already know the centralities of our sister country, Angola, as well as the condominiums in Talatona and other projects carried out in that friendly country. It was this company that realised that project. That’s why we wanted to invite them to carry out projects on the same scale, but with better quality and with total respect for engineering and, above all, the environment, here in Maputo city and throughout Mozambique.’
The main aim of this policy is to facilitate the provision of adequate housing and a healthy living environment for our youth, at an affordable cost to all social groups, especially young people, by promoting quality housing at a low cost.
In addition to the housing component, the project includes the construction of a shopping centre, restaurants and towers, including a panoramic structure that will offer views of the entire city of Maputo.
‘The existing lagoons in this area will not be affected. They will be preserved and can be used for boat trips, a children’s playground, a fitness circuit along the condominium, so that every person, when they wake up in the morning, can walk and do their fitness within this great neighbourhood. The project will also include a health centre, school, sports field, football pitch, community centre, among other infrastructures,’ he said.
Daniel Chapo recalled that ‘decent housing’ is one of the basic rights provided for in the Constitution and is guaranteed to all Mozambican citizens. This right is also ‘one of the main concerns’ of society.
‘Without a doubt, this project will open up opportunities for affordable housing loans for different social groups, especially our youth, given that the project is aimed at young people who are still looking for their first job, marriage and decent housing,’ he concluded.
