By George K. Momo
MONROVIA, June 18 (LINA) – The National Housing Authority, (NHA) has disclosed that Liberia needs at least 200,000 new home units to address severe overcrowding and improve living conditions in the country’s fastest-growing urban centers.
NHA Managing Director, Madam Florence Gbegee made the disclosure Friday, June 12, 2026, during a local radio talk show in Monrovia, where she outlined the scale of Liberia’s housing deficit and its link to unchecked urban migration.
Madam Gbegee said the proposed construction drive is aimed at handling overcrowding in several urban cities, naming Monrovia, Kakata, Gbarnga, Ganta, and Buchanan as cities with the highest population density that urgently needs new housing units.
“These cities are carrying more people than their housing stock can support. The construction of 200,000 dwelling units in these areas will reduce overcrowding and ease pressure on families living in cramped conditions”, she stated.
The NHA Managing Director blamed the overpopulation of urban cities on the dormancy of Liberia’s rural housing program, lamenting that limited access to affordable housing, basic infrastructure, and economic opportunities in rural areas continues to push citizens toward the cities.
“When rural communities don’t have decent housing and services, people migrate to Monrovia and other major towns. That migration is what’s swelling our urban population and creating these housing pressures,” Gbegee said.
Beyond the 200,000 units needed to address current overcrowding, Madam Gbegee disclosed that the NHA will need over 163,000 additional housing units to keep up with the country’s population growth.
She noted that Liberia’s population growth is feeding directly into the crowding problem, where statistics show that the country currently averages 4.4 persons per household, a figure she described as evidence of widespread overcrowding.
She added: “4.4 persons per household is too high. It means many families are sharing limited space, which affects health, privacy, and productivity. We have to build not just for today’s deficit, but for the growth coming tomorrow,” she added.
Madam Gbegee stressed that closing the housing gap will require strong government investment, private sector partnerships, and support from international development partners.
She revealed that the NHA is working on financing strategies and affordable housing models targeting low-and middle-income Liberians.
She also called for urgent revitalization of the rural housing program to slow rural-urban migration and promote more balanced development across the country.
She assured the public that the National Housing Authority (NHA) will do whatever possible to address the infrastructure deficit of the country, as the institution remains the government’s lead agency for housing development, planning, and regulation.