A joint conference offered by the African Union for Housing Finance
and the Bank of Tanzania’s Housing Finance Programme
8 – 10 October 2012
Bank of Tanzania Conference Centre, 10 Mirambo Street, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Africa’s rapidly developing economies and cities offer tremendous
opportunities, and challenges, for housing development and investment.
Urbanisation rates in Africa are the highest in the world, and positive
growth over the last decade has put many countries in a position to
assertively address the housing situations of their populations. While
the mortgage sector remains small, developments in many countries
suggests that this is changing. Housing practitioners across the
continent are beginning to grapple with and understand the opportunities
available and are developing precisely targeted products and
projects. Their work begins to chart pathways for new entrants into
the sector, and this will contribute towards the growth of the housing
sector across the continent. Governments, too, are recognising the
integral role of housing in overall economic growth, and are addressing
the regulatory and policy constraints to housing investment, opening
up further opportunities for growth.
To showcase and promote these opportunities, the African Union for
Housing Finance and the Housing Finance Programme of the Bank of
Tanzania have joined forces to offer a conference with the theme “Growing Housing Opportunities in Africa: Encouraging Investment and Growing the Market”.
It is fortuitous to offer the conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,
where the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development
and the Bank of Tanzania are working together in a partnership with the
World Bank, and with the private sector, to grow housing opportunities
in a focused way. Tanzania’s experiences in growing its mortgage
market and promoting the delivery of affordable housing, while also
actively addressing the market where mortgages cannot go, will be
showcased. The experiences in Tanzania will be of particular interest
to other countries exploring the potential of a mortgage liquidity
facility, or who have already ventured on this path and wish to consider
alternative approaches to the concept. The first day will focus on
ways to encourage investor interest, through the development of
sustainable investment models, the collection of data and the
development of lender track records.
The focus of the second day is on growing the market through the
development of niche market interventions and products that meet the
breadth of the housing need. The day starts with a showcase of
successful developments in progress – delegates will be invited to
choose four, of up to ten projects, which will be presented
simultaneously in a “housing developments marketplace”. This is
followed by a session exploring different ways in which the needs of the
low-income population can be served – from the provision of
micro-mortgages through to sustainable housing microfinance. The
different examples offer housing practitioners useful insight into
opportunities for their own growth and development.
This conference will enable delegates to define their own role in
growing housing opportunities in Africa. Whether delegates are
government officials, investors, developers, lenders or members of civil
society, the conference will offer each participant useful insights
and evidence for promoting housing in their own local contexts.
