The Cabinet Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works, Hon. James Macharia, has urged Shelter Afrique to offer competitive and innovative solutions to its Member States and to catalyse collaborative efforts that would accelerate affordable housing delivery in Africa.
Macharia, who spoke during the official opening of Shelter Afrique Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Symposium on Monday, June 21, 2021 in yaounde, Cameroon, said Shelter Afrique was established with the mandate of mobilizing resources for housing development in Africa.
According to him, the company came into existence against the backdrop of an acute housing shortage across the continent, and an urgent need for African governments to pool resources in order to provide affordable homes to their citizens.
He said: “Today, housing remains an area of great concern for African governments, a problem that has been exacerbated by the high population growth rates and high rates of urbanization across the continent.”
For Kenya, Macharia said the President, Uhuru Kenyatta has prioritized the Affordable Housing Program as one of his “Big Four development pillars.” He said the development of affordable homes is also enshrined in Kenya’s Vision 2030 development blueprint.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that this year’s AGM and Symposium with the theme “Four Decades of Affordable Housing Policies in Africa: Mapping the Next Forty Years” also marked forty years of Shelter Afrique’s existence.
He added: “As we celebrate the success that we have achieved over the past 40 years, I would like to encourage a renewed effort towards resolving Africa’s housing challenges. I urge all participants to work together to re-evaluate Shelter Afrique’s policies and strategies to make them even more responsive to the realities on the ground.
“It is my hope that we will embrace this challenge and continually make necessary decisions to ensure that the company continues to deliver on its mandate.”
