Emmerson Njanjamangezi, Group Features Editor 
NATIONAL Building Society (NBS) says it is set to deliver 200 units in Harare’s Tynwald suburb during the first quarter of 2023, on top of the 600 units the institution churned out through its Dzivaresekwa project in 2022. Feeding into the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), NBS managing director Tapera Mushoriwa (TM) says the institution has all hands-on deck to play its part in helping the country deliver 220 000 housing units by 2025. He sat down with our features editor Emmerson Njanjamangezi (EN) to shed light on the bank’s 2023 roadmap. Below are excerpts from the interview:
EN: We have seen quite a lot of activity since your appointment in the second half of 2022. How’s been your journey so far?
TM: My journey has been quite an adventure. I came at a time when the bank was on an impressive growth trajectory. In the second half of 2022, our strategic focus was on the establishment of a corporate banking unit, which sort of brought a lot of attraction from corporates who wanted to onboard on corporate mortgage schemes. At this stage, we felt compelled as a bank to wind up on legacy projects.
Tapera Mushoriwa, NBS managing director
EM: What progress did you make in winding down and closing legacy books?
TM: We wound down on our biggest project and sealed the year by delivering on the Dzivaresekwa Project, which saw 600 houses being completed and commissioned. We are impressed with progress regarding this project as there was a gold rush on the houses. With this, we then deliberately moved to pursue more projects of this magnitude and also expand our corporate banking portfolio.
EN: For this year, what’s the bank’s strategic focus?
TM: It has been an exciting journey to date. As we look at it, 2023 is the year we define and grow in our mandate. Over time, the mandate has shifted into ‘Bank, Build and Go Beyond’. At the centre of it all, we have ‘BUILD’ as this is our ultimate mandate to the market. However, as a financial institution, we also felt compelled to ensure that we open our doors to ordinary Zimbabweans in order to financially empower them.
EN: As an institution financially mandated to deliver housing needs, how have you opened your doors to ordinary Zimbabweans?
TM: Most customers who have courted us come in anticipation of becoming home owners. However, not everyone qualifies for this facility. This gap is what we have sought to close by understanding our customer’s diverse needs and providing sustainable solutions. To this end, we are partnering with councils to deliver affordable housing. Under our product ‘Ramangwana Ilakusasa,’ we have gone a step further to look at delivering affordable housing in peri-urban areas. This will empower people within the public service. There are people with plots, and farms.
Our aim is to venture into these waters too. It’s no longer just about building houses within the towns. We have also crafted products for the diaspora market as well.
EN: In terms of the mandate, are there any exciting projects lined up this year?
TM: There are quite a number of exciting projects. However, key is the Tynwald Cluster Homes Project, which will be delivered in this quarter. This initiative will deliver 200 units through a joint venture partnership. We have also partnered key stakeholders such as mining companies and state-owned enterprises to expand further from our 2022 delivery output. So, we are not going to be doing it alone, we are inviting everyone to come in with their different proposals so that we can feed into the housing delivery mandate in accordance with NDS1.
EN: We have seen a lot of projects in Harare, does NBS have projects out of the capital
TM: Our mandate is national. We are already working on a big project in Beitbridge, another one in Mutare that is taking impressive shape along with other towns.
EN: There is a soaring demand for NBS products, any plans to expand your branch network to fully service the market?
TM: The process to expand our branch network has already started. It’s part of our five-year strategic plan from 2023-28. We will be opening new doors and branches here in Harare and outside the capital.
We also have an agency banking facility coming soon, so we will be partnering with a lot of people. We are deliberate about becoming the financial institution of the last mile within this country.
In addition to a robust peri-urban plan, we have the digitisation plan in place and rolling. Innovations are already underway, and we are already working on virtual branches.
EN: Any plans this year to widen the financial services to cover the informal sector?
TM: This remains a priority target for us as an institution targeting last mile markets. We are partnering with the Public Service ministry where we have come up with diverse models to cater to the people that are living with disabilities, as well as specific products that cater to the previously marginalised, which are the women as well as the informal sector.
EN: In conclusion, what can the market look out for this year?
TM: In short, I would say we care to bank you, build you and go beyond with you. We are on the ground and we have done our homework and our role is to proffer solutions. All I can say is that it’s going to be as easy as NBS. Get to open an account with NBS and are going to find the journey so exciting as we build you.
In as much as it will end with you owning a home, we will surely go beyond even catering to our customer needs, which were previously never catered for by banks.
