Hertta-Maria Amutenja
The Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) is on the verge of rolling out its long-awaited Pension-Backed Home Loan Scheme (PBHLS), pending the signing of a crucial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the office of the prime minister.
The MoU will define roles and responsibilities between the Fund and the Prime Minister’s office.
The signing will take place once the approved interest rate, set at the repo rate plus 2.5%, is officially gazetted. Until then, the Fund cannot fully implement the scheme.
The GIPF Board of Trustees approved rule amendments for the scheme in 2016, allowing members to access home loans using their pension benefits as collateral.
The amendments received regulatory approval in 2018 from both the Office of the Prime Minister and the Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority (Namfisa).
This process cleared the way for the development of the scheme’s operational framework.
The PBHLS is aimed at active GIPF members. It provides an alternative way to finance a home by using pension entitlements as security. The goal is to make home loans more accessible and affordable, especially for public sector workers who often struggle to qualify for conventional financing.
GIPF spokesperson Edwin Tjiramba said the Fund is in the final stages of readiness.
“We are currently awaiting the gazetting of the interest rate and the signing of the MoU with the Office of the Prime Minister. Once these are completed, we will move forward with onboarding the selected service providers who will administer the loan scheme,” he said.
The Fund has selected First Capital Housing Scheme and Kuleni Financial Services to manage loan applications, repayments, and member support.
These providers will be formally engaged once the required agreements are in place.
Over the past two years, GIPF has carried out awareness campaigns across the country to inform members about the scheme and how it works. The Fund said it wants members to understand the benefits and procedures before the rollout.
The scheme supports national efforts to expand access to affordable housing for government employees.
By using pension savings to back home loans, it seeks to address financing challenges that have limited homeownership in the public sector.
Kavango West governor Verna Sinimbo welcomed the initiative, saying it has the potential to improve living standards in the region.
GIPF said full details on eligibility, application procedures, and loan terms will be made public once the scheme is launched.
