The Presidential Program for the Construction of Social and Economic Housing (PPLSE)

In order to facilitate access for every citizen to decent housing, the Government launched the Presidential Program for the Construction of Social and Economic Housing (PPLSE) in 2012. To achieve this, it initiated a program to construct social and economic housing with a target of 150,000 units by 2025. The execution of this project began with a partnership between the State and around fifty national and international real estate developers. These developers benefit from facilities such as: 

  • The provision of land plots at a lower cost; 

  • The construction of primary Roads and Various Networks (VRD); 

  • The granting of tax exemptions for the implementation of the programs; 

  • Capping the buyer's credit rate at 5.5%. By the end of 2024, the following results were recorded: 

  • Approximately 2,000 hectares of land reserves mobilized; 

  • More than 100 billion FCFA committed by the State for the settlement of customary rights and the realization of primary VRD; 

  • Over 360 billion in tax exemptions granted to developers; - About 37,000 housing units completed across various sites, the main ones being Bingerville (40 ha), the Ado district in Yopougon (20 ha), Grand-Bassam (80 ha), and Songon (439 ha). 

To accelerate the PPLSE, the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Urban Planning (MCLU) plans to: 

  • Call on developers and builders with strong technical and financial capacities. Agreements for the construction of more than 465,000 housing units have already been signed; 

  • Establish a rental-sale and simple rental mechanism; 

  • Move towards the settlement of customary rights through dation to reduce the risks of delays in payment. Dation is a mechanism where the compensation offered to holders of customary rights is in kind (transfer of a portion of developed and titled land), rather than in cash;

  •  Utilize Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for the development of sites and the construction of housing. 

  • In this context, the Government has undertaken reforms related to the management and financing of social housing. It has also initiated several programs or projects, including: 

  • The project for the construction of primary Roads and Various Networks (VRD) for social and economic housing (water supply, sanitation and drainage infrastructure, electricity supply and distribution, construction and equipping of treatment plants), executed at 92% by the end of November 2024, on historical sites (Songon, Bingerville, Grand-Bassam, Ado district, and Azito) and sites in the interior of the country (Yamoussoukro, Toumodi, Adzopé, and Touba); 

  • The Expanded Housing and Land Development Program (PELAF) aimed at acquiring, developing, and securing more than 2,000 hectares of plots across the national territory, to make them available to developers for the housing planned in the PPLSE. 

  • PELAF has achieved the following major results: 

  • Completion of urban planning studies (development plan) for the Ahoué site (300 ha) and securing the land for the pilot phase of the PELAF project (53 ha); 

  • Mobilization of additional land of 138 ha distributed between Attiégouakro (26 ha), Yamoussoukro (54 ha), and Adiaké (58 ha). 

  • The Emergency Program for the construction of 25,000 social and economic housing units, including 20,000 in the Abidjan District and 5,000 in the interior of the country. 

  • This includes: 

  • The construction of collective buildings, with a distribution of 50% for rental-sale and 50% for simple rental; 

  • The launch of construction work for 800 housing units on July 4, 2024, in Yopougon BAE; 

  • The launch of construction work for 1,200 housing units on August 12, 2024, in Akoupé-Zeudji PK24; 

  • Ongoing bidding for the construction of 1,490 housing units in the interior of the country (Yamoussoukro, Korhogo, Bouaké, and San Pedro). 

 

Reforms in the Management and Financing of Social Housing

The reforms in the management and financing of social housing have focused on: 

  • The creation of the National Housing Agency (ANAH) to replace SICOGI, with the mission of facilitating access to housing at competitive acquisition or rental costs for all households and ensuring the improvement and maintenance of living conditions; 

  • The establishment of the Social Housing Guarantee Fund (FGLS), responsible for financing the activities of ANAH, facilitating access to buyer credit for the most disadvantaged social groups, and contributing to the financing of all actions promoting the development of social housing; 

  • The recapitalization of the Housing Bank of Côte d'Ivoire (BHCI) with a strategy refocused on real estate financing to enable it to be the preferred actor in housing financing; 

  • The adoption of Ordinance No. 2021-858 of December 15, 2021, instituting parafiscal taxes on Cement, Reinforcing Steel, and Marble. This measure aims to create favorable conditions for stable and sustainable financing of social housing; 

  • The issuance of Order No. 0030 MCLU/DGLCV of June 24, 2024, establishing, assigning, organizing, and operating the National Commission for the Allocation of Social Housing, abbreviated as CONALOG. 

Reforms or Actions for Improving Housing and Achieving Decent Living Conditions

Major reforms or actions in the housing sector have been implemented. These include the adoption of the following texts: 

  • Law No. 2018-575 of June 13, 2018, on residential leases regulating the relationships between landlords and tenants of residential premises; 

  • Law No. 2018-574 of June 13, 2018, establishing, organizing, and operating the Côte d'Ivoire Deposits and Consignments Fund (CDC-CI). 

Looking Ahead, the Ivorian Government, through the MCLU, intends to: 

  • Develop financing mechanisms for housing and the national mortgage market (commercial banks, housing banks, loans to real estate developers, mortgage loans to households and economic agents); 

  • Facilitate access to housing for populations through innovative and simplified financial mechanisms; 

  • Continue the construction of 150,000 housing units under the PPLSE to reduce the significant housing deficit estimated at 800,000 units; 

  • Continue the Emergency Program for the construction of 25,000 housing units through (i) seeking builders with strong technical capacity for the construction of works (Buildings, VRD), and (ii) mobilizing long-term financial resources (maturity of 20 years or more) at concessional rates from financial partners;

  • Address the challenges posed by overcrowding in cities in Côte d'Ivoire through the development of new cities via the implementation of the Smart Cities project, which combines sustainable urban development with the improvement of the socioeconomic conditions of citizens.