Reall has worked in Angola since 2011, in partnership with Development Workshop Angola (DWA), and their housing social enterprise, HabiTerra.

Angola continues to rebuild after a prolonged civil war, which left much of the country’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed. While significant progress has been made in national reconstruction, housing challenges persist, particularly in urban areas. With 67% of the population living in cities and rapid urbanisation continuing, the housing deficit remains severe. According to Angola’s National Statistics Institute, as much as 91% of the urban population reported living in inadequate conditions with limited access to sanitation, water and electricity. As it stands, people living on lower incomes remain virtually untouched by housing finance and development initiatives.

Reall’s work in Angola focuses on addressing this gap in the city of Huambo, the country’s second-largest urban centre and one of the areas hardest hit during the conflict. In partnership with DWA and their microfinance and social enterprise arms, KixiCredito and HabiTerra, Reall has supported the development of over 170 homes to date through a pioneering rent-to-own housing model. This approach enables residents to pay affordable rent while gradually building up savings and a credit history. Once eligible, tenants can convert their rent payments into a deposit for a housing loan, unlocking access to homeownership that would otherwise be out of reach. The Quissala 1 and Quissala 2 projects are located near the main market in Huambo and represent a phased, scalable approach to urban development on land owned by DWA. These developments provide affordable, durable housing for residents previously renting in overcrowded informal settlements with high risks of eviction. Most homeowners are either self-employed or agricultural workers from surrounding rural areas.

These projects in Huambo demonstrates a scalable, locally driven model for delivering affordable, secure housing and inclusive urban development in post-conflict Angola.