The Ghost Town Of Kilamba In Angola

Kilamba, located just 30 kilometers from the capital of Angola, is beginning to come to life. The city, with a population that currently touches 100,000 inhabitants, was built to demass the capital.

The high prices of the houses and the little aid that Angolans received to acquire a house in the area earned it the pseudonym of ghost town. For this reason, some curious tourists have begun to consider the visit to Kilamba as another tourist attraction.

The origin of Kilamba

The city of Kilamba was born as the product of an agreement between the African government and the China International Trust corporation. The project consisted of the construction of a luxury city in order to decongest the capital.

The works began in 2008 just 30 kilometers from the center of Luanda. Around 100 buildings were built with their corresponding apartments, as well as other urban facilities, such as parking areas, parks and shops.

The works ended on July 11, 2011, when the Angolan government finally inaugurated the city of Kilamba. With an area of ​​54 km² and with a capacity for about 500,000 people, the city of Kilamba would not achieve the desired success, leaving it practically deserted.

The evolution of the city

In the following years, in order to attract a greater number of inhabitants, the city grew with different infrastructures such as schools, sports venues and hospitals. However, the effort was in vain, as the vast majority of the country’s inhabitants could not afford the high price of housing.

Already in 2013, President Dos Santos ordered a significant drop in the price of housing in the city. Similarly, it improved the benefits for granting loans to the Angolan population.

Thanks to these measures, two years later, the city of Kilamba would begin to receive inhabitants. But even so, the already known as ghost town, did not reach the expectations of the population number, counting only 80,000 residents.

Currently. It is believed that thanks to the increase in the demand for housing and the rest of the facilities offered by the government, the population will reach 200,000 inhabitants in the next few years.

Kilamba, the most depopulated city in Angola

Kilamba is a vast expanse of perfectly arranged buildings. This residential area has hundreds of housing blocks, with an approximate average of eight floors. The city also has a large number of schools, commercial premises, offices, garden areas and shopping centers.

Chinese cities are prepared to be inhabited by a large number of people, so the space between streets is not taken as something as important as the number of buildings or services. Hence the buildings are built in modules, and some have their own kindergartens and shops.

Despite the new Angolan government-backed mortgage plan, the city remains unoccupied as expected. Part of the blame also lies in the poor conditioning of the roads that allow access to the city and that there are still problems with the energy supply.

The city of silence

The low population makes the city extremely quiet. And although it is true that the crime rate is minimal, the sensation of traveling through such a large and unpopulated city is a disturbing experience for many.

Streets and roads remain empty most of the time, only a small number of premises and houses are occupied. There are very few stores open and the only companies that remain active are those dedicated to public service.

At present, it only has a couple of supermarkets open, the only place to buy food. The schools in operation are also few  and the majority of the students do not even reside in the city.

Although there are many Angolans who highlight the comfort that living in the city could offer them, they make it clear that the main reason why new transfers are not made is the high price of housing. As a last curious fact, there are a considerable number of Chinese inhabitants in Kilamba, perhaps almost as many as locals.