Leading financiers to attend global housing conference


Taking place at Cape Town’s Westin Hotel from 4-6 November, this year’s joint African Union for Affordable Housing Finance (AUHF) and International Union for Housing Finance (IUHF) Conference is “international in best practice and African in execution” says its organizer and host Kecia Rust, of the AUHF Secretariat.

With more than 300 delegates drawn from 30 African and international countries; this year’s conference theme is, “Realising Affordability in Global Markets.”

According to Rust, the joint conference has attracted speakers from leading DFIs, mortgage refinancers, local and regional banks, and multi-laterals such as the African Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation, which is indicative of the growing interest in affordable housing, as an attractive and necessary asset class globally. 

As one of this year’s participants, the African Development Bank (AFDB), views the conference as a key platform for designing innovative financing schemes to resolve Africa’s housing challenges, says AFDB’s Chief Capital Markets Officer – Financial Sector Departments, Ahmed Attout.

Adding that the conference will help to “Identify new business opportunities in the housing sector that match the Bank’s Ten-year Strategy and its High 5s Priority Agenda which is chiefly to ‘Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa’ and ‘Industrialize Africa.’

The value of the conference according to Attout, who was speaking ahead of this year’s conference, is that it helps to unify the sector and creates a unique platform for different players from across the value chain to address challenges and access opportunities.

“One of the critical issues facing Africa’s housing finance ecosystem is the capability to bring together key market players, policy makers, and institutional investors to share their views and brainstorm on possible solutions to address market challenges,” says Attout. 

With affordable housing becoming one of the most pressing social needs and future opportunities in Africa for real estate investors, Rust believes that Africa needs a multiplicity of innovative solutions due to the sheer scale of demand and opportunity. 

A perspective which Attout agrees, and why the AFDB has been focused on developing alternative solutions designed to improve greater access to more capital in Africa.

“The market is changing, and we are seeing more participants actively engaged in the sector to overcome affordable housing challenges in Africa.”

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