The housing production mechanism in the informal sector in the republic of Congo

This article looks at how house-building projects are carried out by companies operating in the Republic of Congo's informal construction sector. This sector is fuelled by the high demand for housing among the population as a result of demographic pressure and the lack of a housing policy on the part of the public authorities. These companies, which are considered to be the most numerous, apply a non-regulatory management system to the production of housing. The survey carried out in this so-called informal sector enabled us to understand the organisational methods and difficulties encountered by these companies. Very active in the construction of single-storey and two-storey (R+1 and R+2) houses, this sector employs a workforce that is mostly young and lacking in professional qualifications, consisting mainly of labourers or "tâcherons". They assess and plan projects, often on the basis of experience, having worked alongside construction specialists (engineers or architects) or having carried out the same type of work somewhere else.