The 2022 Africa Housing Forum at a glance
The first ever Africa Housing Forum took place in-person and virtually from the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi from 12 to 14 May 2022.
It was hosted by Habitat for Humanity International, in collaboration with partner organizations and institutions, and welcomed practitioners and stakeholders to attend and hold discussions on four key tracks:
- Promoting inclusivity in the housing sector
- Supporting affordable housing
- Leveraging multi sector collaboration
- And building sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11)
A unique convening of housing experts
The forum also covered plenaries discussing: African cities’ pandemic response, challenges and lessons; contribution of the housing sector to Africa’s growing economies; climate change and housing impact; and responding to Africa’s growing housing demand pressures.
Attendees at the event included influential business leaders, policymakers, academics, urban planners, architects, property developers, key representatives from international organizations, nongovernment organizations, donor agencies, social enterprises, housing finance organizations, technology companies, youth organizations, researchers, advocates and others.
Within the framework of the Africa Housing Forum, a competition—called the Innovation Awards— was held to promote and celebrate innovative housing solutions that can improve access to decent, affordable, and disaster-resilient shelter.
“The housing sector is a large contributor for a country’s GDP. It is not anyone’s responsibility but our collective responsibility. It’s you and I to make it happen.”
MAURICE MAKOLOO,
AFRICA AREA VICE PRESIDENT FOR HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL
About Habitat for Humanity Africa
Driven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity began in 1976 as a grassroots effort, growing to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 70 countries.
Habitat has actively worked in Africa since our founding, partnering with millions of people across the region to build and improve places to call home. Recognizing that the great need for housing on the continent requires us to propel our work further, Habitat opened an Africa area office in Nairobi, Kenya, in April 2022.
The Africa office enables us to more intentionally and deliberately serve a growth strategy in the region while building and influencing. We are currently active in Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
“60% of Africa’s population lives in slums without water, sanitation and healthcare and the number is expected to grow to over 1 billion by 2050.”
OUMAR SYLLA,
DIRECTOR REGIONAL OFFICE FOR AFRICA, UN HABITAT
Objectives
- Promote inclusivity in the housing sector
- Support affordable housing
- Leverage multi sector collaboration
- Build sustainable cities and communities(SDG 11)
- Discuss and come up with solutions andaction plans to tackle these key challengesand issues surrounding housing in Africa
Expected outcomes
- Promote inclusivity in the housing sector
- Support affordable housing
- Leverage multi sector collaboration
- Build sustainable cities and communities(SDG 11)
- Discuss and come up with solutions andaction plans to tackle these key challengesand issues surrounding housing in Africa
The forum in numbers
