GUINEA : SHELTER SECTOR ASSESSMENT

Against background descriptions of Guinea"s national economy and the living conditions of the urban poor, the urban shelter problem is analyzed in terms of settlement patterns, extant housing stock and public utilities, and available institutional and noninstitutional housing resources. The report projects a need for 30,000 new housing units over the next 5 years to accomodate urban growth (the GOG currently plans 10,000). It is recommended that the GOG stress the use of underutilized domestic materials and financial resources to reduce the drain on public housing resources caused by importing building materials and by the subsidized system of public housing construction which favors GOG employees. Because replication of current housing standards is not feasible in urban centers, where institutional capability is lacking, incomes are lower, and service costs higher, it is recommended that the GOG stimulate activity in the informal housing sector. Financially, the GOG should: (1) reactivate the housing finance role of the National Bank for Commerce, Industry, and Housing to make credit available to low-income urbanites who suffer most from the housing shortage; (2) provide seed capital and assure the supply of external funds to the proposed system of neighborhood council housing loan guarantees; and (3) move towards full cost recovery in existing and proposed public housing programs. In terms of building materials, the GOG should: (1) encourage the production and use of local materials on both an artisanal and industrial scale; and (2) rehabilitate and improve the operation and maintenance of the existing building materials industry. Finally, regarding land use, the GOG should: (1) better coordinate responsibility among its land use ministries; (2) speed up provision of land under public leasehold; and (3) price land to recover enough revenue to reinvest in new development and to recoup the surplus value resulting from its intervention.