ECIAfrica

Projects

Building capacity of government to plan and budget for housing needs

Providing housing to the poor is a national priority in South Africa. Government subsidies for homeless people and those living in shacks and other forms of inadequate housing, are provided through an annual grant transfer from the National Department of Housing to the nine provincial counterpart departments. Needs are identified through integrated development plans produced at the municipal level. In 2006 - 2007 more than R5 billion ($715 million) was allocated to provinces to meet human settlement needs.

To receive grant allocations, provincial Departments of Housing must have adequate systems in place to assure the national government that the funds can be appropriately managed and controlled. This includes agreeing on outputs and targets in line with grant objectives, and developing multi-annual business plans linking cash flows to projects, and projects to identified need. Often grant funds are not spent to meet housing needs, or are otherwise spent inefficiently, due to inadequate government capacity to plan and budget effectively.

ECIAfrica in partnership with The Project Shop is working with the National Department of Housing to facilitate the development of multi-year business plans. Under the project, ECIAfrica and its partner are assisting the National Department to set up an internal audit team to effectively analyze business plans submitted by provinces, and support them in improving the content. Provincial consultant teams are then providing hands-on assistance and capacity building to provincial Departments of Housing to develop their multi-year business plans.

South Africa

October 2007 - April 2008

Client:

National Department of Housing

Contact:

Sipho Dayel

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