Nigeria to host African housing finance confab

The housing sector will take centre stage of national discourse, as Nigeria plays host to a gathering of experts and practitioners of housing and housing finance from across the world.

The two-day conference organised by the African Union for Housing Finance, in partnership with the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company is slated for September 14 and 16 at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Centre, Abuja.

Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, will deliver the keynote address at the Conference, while the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun will headline the plenary, including a unique housing investment marketplace. Other speakers include housing finance experts from Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania, and from others like India, China, and Brazil.

The speakers will be complemented by institutional level representatives of the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the China-Africa Development Fund and the UN-HABITAT.

Participants would deliberate on the state of the housing sector, proffer solutions for its growth to unlock its multiplier effects on national economies. The conference will host a not-to-be missed Housing Investment marketplace, which will connect development finance institutions, investors, and housing practitioners, offering the opportunity for face-to-face meetings to discuss possible affordable housing finance projects and initiatives.

Investors already registered to attend the marketplace include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), China-Africa Development Fund, UK CDC, Lion’s Head Global Partners, Cantor Fitzgerald LP and the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC).

There will also be a Housing Microfinance Academy, hosted by LafargeHolcim in partnership with AFD, the French Development Agency, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).The Housing Microfinance (HMF) Academy is part of a series of events organized by LafargeHolcim to enhance HMF availability for low/middle-income people around the globe. So far, over 100 financial institutions on 4 continents have joined the Academy. It contributes to LafargeHolcim’s ambition to make affordable housing accessible through innovative solutions.

Expected outcomes from the Conference include a clear roadmap for the sector in Nigeria moving forward from the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, strong investment leads for greater affordable housing finance and provision in Nigeria, an Africa regional roadmap for the successful integration of housing finance into the urban agenda of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)to be presented at the upcoming Habitat III Conference in Quito Ecuador, amongst others.

The African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF) is a 55 – member association of mortgage banks, building societies, housing corporations and other organisations working on the mobilisation of funds for shelter and housing on the African continent, with the overarching goal of promoting housing finance on the African continent.

Its yearly conferences and meetings are highly in-demand platforms for brainstorming and knowledge sharing on developments in the sector on the continent, for identifying new housing investment opportunities, generate new business, and promote related products and services. The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) is honoured to have been selected as local host for its 32nd edition and the yearly General Meeting .