CAHF 10th Anniversary: A Decade of Impact, A Future for Housing

As we enter 2024, the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF) is gearing up to celebrate a significant milestone – our 10th anniversary on the 14th of May 2024.

Over the past ten years, CAHF has become renowned for providing essential information to the marketplace through extensive data analysis, market research, and insightful reports, we have empowered stakeholders across the public and private sectors to make informed decisions, fostering improved access to affordable housing.

At the core of our initiatives lie flagship programs that embody our vision of an inclusive, affordable housing finance ecosystem across the continent. The Housing Finance in Africa Yearbook , currently in its 14th edition, offers a comprehensive overview of the housing market in each of Africa’s 54 countries, shedding light on how local entities are facilitating access to housing and housing finance for households at the base of the income pyramid. Additionally, our Housing Economic Value Chain series delves into the role of housing in the economy and explores avenues for further stimulation. The Citymark programme analyses residential property markets in municipal and provincial areas across South Africa, utilizing deeds registry data to spotlight low-value properties and their performance.

CAHF’s role as Secretariat to the African Union of Housing Finance (AUHF) , has been instrumental in fostering dialogue and collaboration among private sector players, driving the growth of Africa’s affordable housing sector. Furthermore, our commitment to professional development through partnerships with esteemed institutions such as the University of Cape Town , the Housing Finance Information Network (Hofinet) at the Wharton School , and the International Housing Studies (IHS) at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, with the online course “Making Housing Markets Work in African Cities: Understanding the Role of Finance ” underscores our dedication to capacity building and knowledge sharing. Our Open Access Initiative , though relatively nascent, consolidates insights from these endeavours into a framework that promotes private sector engagement in enhancing the information infrastructure to bolster investment in affordable housing.

As we embark on this celebratory journey, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our funders for their unwavering support in fulfilling our mission. From FSDAfrica , our inaugural core funder, to the French Development Agency (AFD) , our current primary supporter, and FSDAfrica Investments , and FSD Kenya , who champion the Open Access Initiative and our endeavours in Kenya, to Oppenheimer Generations and the First Rand Empowerment Foundation (FREF) , who finance our work with the Tenure Support Centre in South Africa, we are immensely appreciative.

We also extend our thanks to the World Bank in Kenya, Rwanda, and Senegal, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Ghana and Senegal, Access to Finance Rwanda , GIZ in Rwanda, TUHF21 , the Government Technical Advice Centre (GTAC) , FinMark Trust , the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) , the MasterCard Foundation , the Cities Alliance , Isandla , the City of Cape Town , the government of the Western Cape , and the South African Multifamily Residential Rental Association in South Africa, ?and numerous other organizations that have supported our yearbook over the years (among them, the IFC , Shelter Afrique DB , iBuild Global , NMRC , FSD Kenya , CRRH , FHFL , AfDB , BII , HFH , TUHF , Neulandt , Divercity , Easy Housing , ZB Financial Holdings , TMRC , FBC Building Society , Affordable Housing Institute AHI , NHFC , FMBN , Jobomax , and many more).

Our partnerships have been invaluable in enriching our work and advancing our mission. Notably, our collaboration with the AUHF has been central to our shared goal of fostering functional housing markets across Africa. The growth of our Data Agenda owes much to our partnerships with 71point4 , Reall , the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics , and the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company. Similarly, our initiatives in Nigeria have been made possible through our partnership with NMRC and our collaboration with the Africa International Housing Show . In South Africa, our partnership with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has been particularly fruitful, as has our collaboration with the Tenure Support Centre, in tandem with 71point4 and the Cities Support Programme at the South African National Treasury. As we expand the Open Access Initiative, we are grateful for the support and active involvement of partners such as FSDAi, FSD Kenya, International Housing Solutions in Kenya, Reall, and others with whom we have signed Data Sharing Agreements, as well as iBuild Global, with whom we are developing more efficient mechanisms for data collection to share developers’ experiences in delivering affordable housing.

To commemorate this milestone, we invite all our partners, stakeholders, and friends to join us on this journey of reflection and foresight. Through social media, we encourage you to share your experiences, insights, and aspirations for the next decade using the hashtags #CAHFis10 and #Adecadeofimpact.

As we celebrate a decade of progress, let us reaffirm our commitment to making housing markets work in Africa. Together, we can shape a future where affordable housing is not just a dream but a reality for all.

Join us as we celebrate a decade of impact and embrace the promise of tomorrow.

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