Student Accommodation

The opportunity

Zambia faces a structural shortage of safe, near-campus student housing — the majority of students struggle to afford current off-campus rents, and most report difficulty accessing basic utilities like water and power. As much as 55–70% of Zambia's urban population lives in informal or unplanned settlements, and the national housing deficit is estimated at 1.5–2.0 million units and growing.

Meritus is developing a purpose-built, gender-segregated residence — 68 male beds ground floor, 72 female beds first floor with biometric access control — with communal kitchens, dedicated study space at every bed, a landscaped central courtyard, solar back-up power and filtered borehole water, a marked upgrade from the informal rental market most students rely on today.

The pilot is designed as a proof of concept for a scalable platform: unit economics that can be replicated near university campuses across Lusaka, Kitwe and other Zambian cities, in partnership with local government on land access and planning.

Facility programme