Nigeria: FHA Commissions 240-Unit Lugbe Estate - The much talked about 240 units Lugbe housing estate extension located in Lugbe area of the FCT was formally commissioned yesterday by the Minister of State for Works, Housing and Urban Development Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre. [AA Construction]

Uganda: Low Cost Estate Unveiled - AN ultra-modern community housing project that will provide low-cost homes has been unveiled. The project is a joint venture between Bageine Company Ltd., Pinnacle Projects Ltd. and the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC). [AA Urbanisation]

Botswana: New Housing Scheme Announced - Government has announced a new scheme to make housing and home-ownership affordable, especially for the youth. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Country Requires N59 Trillion to Meet Housing Deficit - An expert on property development and Managing Director of Realty Point Limited, Mr. Debo Adejana, says Nigeria requires about N59 trillion to meet her housing needs. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Akwa Ibom Approves N27 Billion for Housing Development - The Akwa Ibom State government, in its bid to tackle envisaged housing problem arising from the expanding economy, has approved N26.95bn for the construction of about 2000 housing units in the state. [AA Construction]

South Africa: MEC Promises 600 Houses for the Disabled - Mpumalanga's MEC for Human Settlements, Madala Masuku, has assured disabled people living in Bushbuckridge that the provincial government will provide them with houses that suit their needs. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Mpumalanga Government to Provide Housing for Disabled - The Mpumalanga Provincial Government has on Thursday launched a campaign to ensure disadvantaged disabled people in the province receive RDP homes that meet their special needs. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: Housing Project Suffers Setback Over Dispute - The commencement of work on the planned federal housing project in Abia state has suffered a set back following a row that erupted between the federal ministry of works and the Abia state government over the ownership of the land acquired for the project. [AA Construction]

Nigeria: Akwa Ibom to Build 2000 Houses With N30 Billion - AKWA Ibom State Government has set aside N30 billion for the construction of 2,000 housing units for the people, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, the Commissioner for Information and Social Re-orientation, has said. [AA Construction]

By Nthambeleni Gabara

Pretoria - The Department of Human Settlements will embark on activities starting Monday, to mark the annual Human Settlements week.

Themed "Working together to restore people's dignity", the activities will kick-off on Monday in Limpopo, which is the province of focus for this year.

The Human Settlements week is aimed at highlighting the successes, challenges and planned corrective measures put in place to fast track the delivery of sustainable human settlements.

The initiation seeks to foster the spirit of volunteerism and partnerships between governments, the community and stakeholders in the housing sector.

Planned activities for this year in Limpopo include a Celebrity Build, where local celebrities will build a house for one of the identified beneficiaries in Moletjie, in Ga-Moeti village.

Representatives from the department will join the mayor of Musina Local Municipality, Cllr Caroline Mahasela, members of the South African Police Service, Community Development Workers and ward councilors on a door-to-door campaign aimed at addressing some of the challenges facing the communities at the border town of Musina.

Uganda: Mortgage Housing Deal Unveiled - Stanbic Bank and the National Housing Corporation have partnered to provide affordable mortgage loans for customers to acquire accommodation. [AA Urbanisation]

Nigeria: FHA Partners Developer on N26 Billion Abuja Housing Scheme - The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has signed an agreement with a private firm worth N26 billion, comprising N22 billion as cost of constructing houses and N4 billion for infrastructure development, to build 932 new housing units in Abuja, aimed at tackling the housing crisis in the federal capital territory. [AA Construction]

Cameroon: Housing - Visible Changes, But... - The outlook of our major urban agglomerations has changed radically within the New Deal period. Douala and Yaounde are good examples [AA Urbanisation]

Uganda: Women Get Houses - SLUM Women's Initiative for Development, a non- government organisation in Jinja municipality, has embarked on a project to assist women acquire land at a low cost. [AA Urbanisation]

Uganda: Housing Industry Looks to Partnerships for Affordability - While the developers are making an attempt to put up new houses, their effort is like a drop in the ocean because not many Ugandans earn that much to purchase these houses. Many of them are opting for constructing their own homes as they believe it is cheaper at the end of the day. However, mortgages are choking up many home owners. [AA Construction]