How can we be stronger together. Public and Private sector practitioners collaborating for a strong affordable housing sector in Africa

The African Union for Housing Finance is a member-based body established in 1984 to support private sector practitioners in realising an enabled and productive housing finance sector across Africa. Currently comprising 73 members (banks, building societies, other lenders, investors, developers, proptech providers, consulting firms, and individuals) from 23 countries, the AUHF is the primary representative body for Africa’s housing sector. Through our work and our meetings, we bring governments and the private sector together to develop and maintain efficient and effective housing markets and access to adequate and affordable housing for all. In this, the AUHF is also a key focal point for engagement with Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), governments and other sector-support bodies and initiatives at the local, national, and regional and international levels.

The AUHF realises its mission through three areas of activity: networking and capacity building, lobbying and advocacy, and investment support. Marking its 40th year, it wishes to expand its membership to include more private and non-governmental participants from across all countries in Africa.

This session will introduce participants to the AUHF, its membership and its activities, encouraging them to join the union and participate in the growth of Africa’s affordable housing sector. The session will seek to produce a statement of intent for the AUHF, responsive to the perspectives of participants in the session and within the overall framework of WUF 24 – it all starts with the home. We look forward to facilitating a dynamic exchange of ideas, experiences, and expertise among participants, to fostering a collective approach to addressing the complex challenges facing African urban areas in the context of affordable housing. We further look forward to strengthening the AUHF so that it can become increasingly representative of affordable housing in Africa, bringing private sector perspective into what have been historically limited to public and NGO sector debates.