Baku – Eswatini should expect a national housing survey when the country’s delegation returns from the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the government saying it needs to fully understand the scale of the housing gap before it can address it.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Dr Simon Zwane, who is part of the delegation attending the forum alongside the Minister of Housing, made the announcement on the sidelines of the conference, which this year is focused on housing the world and making communities and cities more resilient.
Dr Zwane said the survey would serve as a housing profile for the country, giving the ministry a clear picture of how many Swazis are living without decent housing and what needs to be done to close that gap. 
“We will undertake some kind of survey so that we know exactly something like a housing profile. I think that will be very critical for the nation or for the ministry to have,” he said.
He said the ministry was at the forum to learn from other countries and stakeholders on how Eswatini could build more resilient and sustainable cities and towns, particularly in the face of growing climate change challenges.
“As we chart the way into the future, we need to make sure that the future generation finds a sustainable world, sustainable cities and resilient to the climate change effects,” Dr Zwane said.
He said key questions being explored at the forum included the role of the private sector and government in addressing the housing shortage, as well as what financing mechanisms could be pursued to close the gap.
“We don’t want to leave anyone behind,” he said.
