Kenya has signed Yaoundé Declaration seeking to enhance mechanisms for the mass production of decent and affordable housing in the continent to achieve social and economic development.
The country was represented by Transport, Infrastructure and Housing and Roads Cabinet Secretary James Macharia who is the immediate former Chairman of Shelter Afrique AGM Bureau. The ‘Yaoundé Declaration’ was issued at the 40thAnnual General Assembly of Shelter Afrique held in Yaoundé Cameroon from where African Ministers and Heads of Delegation of Ministries in charge of Housing and Urban Development, African Finance Ministers, the Directors and Management of Shelter Afrique, and representatives of international, regional and national institutions, the private sector and civil society, resolved to address the challenges that have hindered the efforts to provide decent and affordable housing in Africa.
Kenya is among the 25 countries that signed the joint declaration. Other member countries in attendance who passed the resolution adopting the declaration include Algeria, Benin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Lesotho, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Togo, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Housing crisis
Shelter Afrique Group Managing Director and CEO Andrew Chimphondah lauded the participants for making the ‘bold-step’ adding that the Yaoundé Declaration had turned a new page in Africa’s quest for housing-for-all.
“According to a research by Shelter Afrique’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) the overall shortage of housing in Africa is estimated at 56 million housing units. Out of this, more than 90 percent are in affordable housing bracket. The solution to resolving this shortage lies in a well-coordinated and collaborative effort among all stakeholders, including governments, multilateral institutions, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. I’m happy that the Yaoundé Declaration has highlighted some of these challenges and all stakeholders, including governments, are willing to address the shortage as a matter of urgency,” said Mr. Chimphondah.
Most African countries are currently facing a housing crisis driven by high population growth, increased urbanization, poor urban planning, dysfunctional land markets, rising construction costs, proliferation of informal settlements, and underdeveloped financial systems. The declaration addresses in details the issues of leadership and governance, policies and legislation, coordination, land systems, finance and taxation, capacity building, and adoption of new building technologies.
“Effective policy and legislations is a critical in addressing all these challenges as this will tackle issues around quality control in the delivery of decent and affordable housing, provision of housing to the vulnerable groups, land tenure system, adoption of construction technologies, and even financing. That is why we settled on Four Decades of Housing Policies in Africa as the theme for our 40th Annual General Assembly as we look forward to the next 40 years of affordable housing,” Mr. Chimphondah said.
