By Amos Harris
The Managing Director of the National Housing Authority (NHA), Madam Florence Kateka Geegboe, has sounded a serious alarm over what she described as a “deepening housing crisis” in Liberia. Speaking at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism’s (MICAT) regular press briefing on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, in Monrovia, Madam Geegboe disclosed that more than 17 percent of Liberians continue to live in slum communities under poor and unsafe conditions.
The NHA boss stated that the nation’s housing situation remains critical and requires urgent intervention from both the government and development partners.
Citing findings from the UN-Habitat 2014 Liberia Housing Profile, Madam Geegboe revealed the staggering scale of the deficit, noting that Liberia urgently needs over 200,000 new dwelling units to reduce overcrowding. Specifically, the country requires 163,035 units to accommodate population growth and 4,891 units to replace old or damaged structures.
“We need a total of 512,000 urban housing units by 2030,” she disclosed. “Sadly, little progress has been made, and we continue to rely on outdated data because the situation has not changed much.”
The NHA boss highlighted a critical obstacle: the lack of a functioning national land bank and mortgage institutions to support housing development. “We do not have the institutions that can finance or refinance housing projects, and our former land bank is completely depleted,” she lamented.
Furthermore, the NHA head called for the immediate amendment of the outdated National Housing Authority Act of 1960, describing it as “obsolete and insufficient” to address modern challenges. The proposed amendments aim to empower the NHA to license builders, enforce construction standards, and ensure quality control.
“Some houses collapse within a week of construction because there’s no soil testing or proper foundation work,” she warned. “We want the authority to regulate construction so that people’s lives are protected.”
Madam Geegboe announced that the NHA has completed a comprehensive proposal under the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development. This proposal targets 27 housing projects between 2026 and 2029 at an estimated cost of US$16.8 million.
The plan includes the drafting of the National Housing Trust Fund and the Civil Servants Housing Assets Act of 2025, both aimed at providing financial guarantees for investors and development partners.
“Across Africa, sixteen countries already have national housing trust funds,” she said. “Liberia must do the same if we want to attract credible partners and secure long-term investment.”
While acknowledging that government alone cannot fix Liberia’s housing deficit, the NHA has already signed five Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with private developers. However, most of these initiatives remain stalled due to unprepared land and lack of financing mechanisms.
She stressed the urgency of establishing mortgage and refinancing institutions, implementing investment-friendly policies, and operationalizing the National Housing and Agriculture Bank to attract both local and foreign investors. Drawing lessons from neighboring Ghana, whose booming real estate sector is projected to reach US$456.11 billion in 2025, Madam Geegboe noted, “Ghana’s progress is built on strong public-private partnerships and sustained government investment in infrastructure.”
In a passionate appeal, the NHA Director invoked the biblical story of Nehemiah, who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, urging: “Like Nehemiah, we too must rise to rebuild. I call on all Liberians both at home and abroad to join hands with us to restore dignity through decent housing for our people.”
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