The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing has announced that under a new plan, 500,000 residential units will be prepared and distributed to Afghan citizens on an installment basis over the next ten years through the Housing Fund.
According to ministry officials, 95% of the plan has already been completed, and efforts are underway—with private sector participation—to establish new housing townships and provide homes to citizens.
Anas, the head of the Housing Fund at the ministry, stated that more than 75% of the country’s population currently lives without access to standard housing.
He said: “The Ministry is committed to gradually providing standard housing through short, medium, and long-term installment plans under the Housing Fund initiative.”
Meanwhile, some citizens in Kabul—including retirees, returnees, and people with disabilities—are calling on the caretaker government to provide them with land or housing to escape homelessness and unaffordable rents.
Gulbuddin, a returnee deported from Pakistan, said: “We request the government build homes for us and assist us.”
Mahmoud, a retired citizen, said: “If we had betrayed our country, we would have homes by now. I owe fifty thousand afghani in rent.”
At the same time, the ministry’s spokesperson stated that there are currently 700 residential townships across Afghanistan, 350 of which have been officially registered, and the registration process for the remaining townships is ongoing.
Kamal Afghan told that the ministry has started the process of distributing land to returnees across the country.
He added: “So far, we have built 35 new townships in 25 provinces. Some existing townships were revised and redesigned, bringing the total number to 60.”
Officials of the Chamber of Industries and Mines said investment in the housing and township sector are crucial for national economic growth.
Sakhi Ahmad Payman, the chamber’s first deputy, said: “There is ample land across Afghanistan that should be allocated to expand housing. With a rising population and the return of migrants, we need to avoid future housing shortages.”
According to the ministry, implementation of the Housing Fund plan is expected to stimulate growth in nearly 300 types of businesses.
Simultaneously, construction is underway on the first and second segments of Phase I of the “New Kabul” project, which is planned to expand the city to 1.5 times its current size and accommodate up to three million people.