Dar es Salaam, 17 Sept 09

From Left: Dar es Salaam City Council Director, Mr. Bakari Kingobi, the Mayor of Temeke Municipality, Mr. Jerome Bwanausi, the Chief Director of National Housing Research and Building Agency, Dr. G. M. Kawiche and the Temeke Municipality Director, Mr. Steven Kongwa.

The construction utilizes hydro form blocks/ interlocking blocks to improve quality housing and to create employment for youth groups.

Speaking at the launch, the Dar es Salaam City Council Director, Mr. Bakari Kingobi said: “I am very pleased with the Temeke Municipality’s support and enthusiasm for the development of youth, by allocating them an area for the demonstration and construction of the Youth Centre”.

“This is a great opportunity for the youth to focus on acquiring technical skills about interlocking / hydro form blocks making machines. This training will enable youth to be self reliant by creating employment opportunities for them, and they will be able to construct low cost houses in their respective areas by using local resources such as cement stabilized soil, interlocking blocks and fibre reinforced concrete tiles,” he added.

Some of the youth observing how to make Hydro forms blocks under the supervision of the trainer from the National Housing Research and Building Agency

The Temeke Municipality Director, Mr. Steven Kongwa advised the trainees to exchange technical information on construction gained from the training with other youth in their respective communities.

Speaking on behalf UN-HABITAT in Dar es Salaam, the Habitat Youth Centre Coordinator, Mr. Gadi Kalugendo said: “This project is a response from the UN-HABITAT to support the Government of Tanzania to meet the high demand for youth employment and also to address the general poor state of housing in urban areas in the country. Moreover, the project is in line with the Tanzania Development Vision 2025 and the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty of 2005”.

“The technology is expected to be diffused to the local population outside the selected members of the construction teams by adaptation and adoption and hence improving the general standard of life. Through local participation in the project, it is expected that more innovative inputs will be injected in the whole process of delivering affordable housing,” added Mr. Kalugendo.

Mr. Simion Kintingu from the National Housing and Building Research Agency explains the use of new technology to the Director of Dar es Salaam City Council, Mr. Bakari Kingobi during the launch of the training.

The training will benefit some 30 youth, 10 from each municipality that is Ilala, Temeke and Kinondoni and youth officers from their respective municipalities and it will take 14 days, starting from Monday September 14.