Kasbah: Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri presided over a small Cabinet meeting at the Government Palace in Kasbah, focusing on the state's social policy in housing and the executive plan for building and allocating social housing to low- and middle-income groups. The meeting emphasized the use of rent-to-own or installment sale systems and the development of social plots.
According to Agence Tunis Afrique Presse - English, Prime Minister Zenzri highlighted that the state's social housing policy is designed to ensure the constitutional right to decent housing for Tunisian families with limited or moderate incomes. This commitment reflects the state's dedication to social justice and enhancing citizen dignity. The Prime Minister also mentioned efforts to expand the Housing Promotion Fund's intervention programs and provide necessary funding to support the rent-to-own mechanism.
Minister of Public Works and Housing Slah Zouari presented key points of the housing plan, which involves constructing housing units for low- and middle-income groups and developing social plots. This initiative follows President Kais Saied's directive to strengthen the social role of public real estate developers and offer housing at affordable prices amid rising costs.
The minister detailed that state-owned lands have been made available at symbolic prices to public real estate developers for constructing social housing units. The state plans to build approximately 5,000 housing units during the 2026-2030 development plan at an estimated cost of 750 million dinars. The first phase, commencing in 2026, will include 1,213 units across 11 governorates, costing an estimated 212 million dinars. Additional projects are planned for all governorates.
To ensure transparency, a digital platform will be established to manage applications and beneficiary lists. Efforts are also underway to secure land at preferential prices for social plots, aiming to facilitate homeownership for low-income groups.
The social housing policy's main pillars include introducing the rent-to-own or installment sale mechanisms, reactivating the roles of public real estate developers, and securing state-owned lands at preferential prices. The policy also aims to expand direct construction programs and plan thousands of new housing units under the 2026-2030 development plan.
Prime Minister Zenzri concluded the meeting by emphasizing the urgency of commencing construction of social housing and developing social plots. These efforts align with President Kais Saied's directives to ensure the right to decent housing and embody the concept of a social state.