HFB launches Zimba Challenge for affordable Ugandan housing
Housing Finance Bank has started a nationwide competition seeking practical designs that could help close a 2.4 million unit shortage in residential construction. The HFB Zimba Challenge invites architects, builders, skilled workers and business owners to develop models suited for citizens across all earning brackets.
Doreen Nyiramugisha from the bank’s marketing division said partners must work together to create dwellings that Ugandans can afford while remaining environmentally responsible. The program supports three institutional priorities: broader access to financial services, business development and ecological construction methods. Annet Ssebugwawo Nakigudde, who leads microfinance operations, pointed out that motorcycle taxi drivers making 320,000 shillings monthly cannot realistically manage two decades of mortgage payments. The bank helped customers construct adequate homes starting with 30 million shillings through gradual building approaches.
John Baptist Kaweesi, who oversees mortgage and consumer lending, urged participation from people throughout the nation to address urgent shelter needs. The competition seeks locally developed answers that can expand from cities into countryside areas while remaining financially viable for households at different income levels.
