KARACHI: The provincial government on Friday informed a World Bank (WB) team that 900,000 housing units were under construction with the assistance of the bank under the banner of Sindh People’s Housing for Flood-Affectees (SPHF) programme.

The executive directors of the WB visited Pakistan for the first time in two decades and attended a presentation on the programme.

A press statement issued by the government said that the World Bank delegation praised the initiative, acknowledging it as a “model worthy of global recognition”.

The presentation, given by Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon at CM House, was attended among others by Provincial Ministers Jam Khan Shoro and Haji Ali Hassan Zardari, chief secretary and provincial secretaries concerned.

The 25-member delegation was led by Executive Directors (EDs) from various countries, including Beatrice Maser (Switzerland), Robert Nicholl (Australia), Terea Solbes (Spain), Zainab Ahmed (Nigeria), Abdelhak Bedjaoui (Algeria), Lonkhululeko Magagula (Eswatini), Marlene Nzengou (Central African Republic), Tauqir Shah (Pakistan), and Paul Bonmartin (France).

The senior minister and the chief secretary welcomed the delegation and provided them a comprehensive briefing on the housing project to accommodate flood-affected individuals.

The senior minister credited the Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah for their leadership in disaster response, which included emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation efforts.

He said that over 900,000 houses were currently under construction in Sindh, making this the “largest” housing initiative in the world.

Khalid Mehmood Shaikh, the CEO of SPHF, highlighted the project’s significant impact on providing sustainable housing solutions to flood victims.

One of the Executive Directors from the World Bank praised the initiative’s “transparency and impact”, stating, “The Sindh Housing Project made us proud when it was recently showcased in the [World Bank] meeting in Nepal. The transparency demonstrated by the project is highly commendable,” he added.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2025