Financialisation and financing urban development: The potential and limits of domestic financial assets
This workshop provides an opportunity for practitioners in finance as well as academic and policy professionals to explore creative ways to match extensive housing and infrastructure backlogs in African urban areas with financial assets managed by domestic non-bank financial institutions, especially pension funds.
Organizer: Professor Jennifer Robinson and Dr John Spyropoulos, University College
May 21, 2026 | 15:00 - 16:00
(passed)
Summary
This session explores the limited role of domestic pension funds in financing housing and urban infrastructure in African cities, despite growing global interest in financialised urban development. While pension funds hold significant long-term capital, they are largely invested in short-term government bonds due to fiscal pressures, perceived risk, and weak investment pipelines, resulting in minimal investment in housing. Focusing on Ghana, Malawi, and Tanzania, the discussion highlights how housing delivery is dominated by informal, self-built processes, while affordability and infrastructure gaps persist. It questions why domestic financial assets are not more actively mobilised for urban development and examines the structural barriers behind this.
The session proposes exploring innovative partnerships between governments, pension funds, and other actors to redirect long-term savings into affordable housing and infrastructure. It considers how institutional reforms, risk-sharing mechanisms, and blended financing models could unlock pension capital for more inclusive and development-oriented urban investment.