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Across Africa, the residential investment opportunity is increasingly driving conversations about economic growth. The opportunity is clear: with the fastest rate of urbanisation globally, and a growing middle class, Africa's demand for affordable housing is increasing at a rapid rate. Governments and the private sector each have an excellent opportunity to gear this interest in support of their growth and investment targets, while also meeting the housing needs of their growing urban populations. In the context of an economic downturn on the African continent, housing creates an important and strategic opportunity to change the narrative and drive growth from within.
Housing is all about the value chain. The process of delivering and managing a home – from land assembly through to infrastructure provision, house construction, the sales and transfer process, and then ongoing maintenance and improvements – is highly interdependent drawing on multiple sectors in the economy and departments in government. Any weaknesses along the chain affect the performance of the entire chain: it is as strong as its weakest link. Stakeholders across the continent in the public and private sector are yearning to intervene meaningfully and sustainably in the housing space to harness the growth potential however; this will only be realized if key sector players come together and address these challenges in a concerted manner. This year's African Union for Housing Finance Conference under the theme, "Engaging housing value chain for growth," brings together key players in Africa's housing and housing finance industry to chart a way for the betterment of housing across the continent. |
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