Baghdad: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani reaffirmed today the government’s commitment to implementing major housing projects that will create wide employment opportunities and boost national industries, particularly in the field of construction materials. This came as Al-Sudani launched the ‘Al-Fidaa Residential City’ project for Ministry of Defense personnel in Dhi Qar Governorate. The project is part of the government’s real estate development initiative for serviced residential lands, and the event was attended by the Minister of Defense and the Governor of Dhi Qar.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Sudani explained in a statement from his media office that the project will cover all Ministry of Defense employees from the province by distributing serviced and fully developed residential plots equipped with essential infrastructure, water, sewage, electricity, and paved roads, across two areas totaling 6,400 dunams. The Prime Minister commended the Ministry of Defense for following up on the 2023 government directives aimed at solving the housing crisis and providing serviced residential plots for members of the Iraqi army and other security agencies.
He also praised the Ministries of Construction and Housing, and Justice, for allocating the necessary lands, which is 2,900 dunams in the provincial center and 3,500 dunams in Al-Shatra District, along with similar allocations in other governorates. Al-Sudani emphasized that his government has adopted the real estate developer model as a strategic solution to the housing crisis, in contrast to previous approaches that distributed unserviced plots, which led to urban disorganization and infrastructure chaos. He noted that the government’s goal is to provide a ‘small homeland’, a decent housing unit, as the least that can be offered to the heroes of the security forces.
He also reiterated his previous directives concerning Al-Sukhariya area designated for Ministry of Defense personnel in Dhi Qar, stressing the prohibition of any investment activity or encroachment on those lands. The Prime Minister highlighted several key government measures in this regard, including adopting a lending policy through the Central Bank and public and private banks to facilitate home ownership and construction, addressing the loan guarantor requirement by relying on insurance companies, and building residential cities that befit members of the security forces, as part of efforts to promote social stability.
Further measures include launching large-scale projects that generate hundreds of job opportunities and open horizons for national industries, particularly in construction materials, granting investment licenses for projects covering nearly one million housing units across Baghdad and other provinces, and encouraging the establishment of new factories to meet the demand for construction materials, as local production currently covers only 35% of market needs.
Al-Sudani concluded by expressing his appreciation for the efforts of all ministries and relevant entities, while stressing the need for the implementing company to accelerate project execution in line with approved technical standards, to fulfill the aspirations of Iraq’s military personnel and their families.