Dangiwa Advocates Collaborative Approach To Africa’s Housing Challenges

Nigeria’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development as well as the 42nd AGM Bureau Chair of Shelter Afrique Development (ShafDB), Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has urged African housing ministers to work collaboratively to address the continent’s pressing housing development challenges.

Dangiwa made the call at the opening ceremony of the ShafDB 43rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) Symposium, held at the Marriott Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda.

In attendance at the opening ceremony were the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, represented by the Prime Minister, Hon. Dr. Edouard Ngirente, Ministers of Housing and Public Works from several African countries including the organised sector and private sector players.

The minister who stressed the importance of innovative financing, underscored the crucial role of ShafDB as Africa’s premier housing finance institution, stating, “ShafDB is Africa’s housing finance bank, and as such, it is  important that Africa continue to give the bank all the support that it requires to grow, scale in impact and deliver on its mandate.

As part of efforts to institutionalise partnerships, the minister unveiled plans to launch a Financial Caucus of African Ministers of Housing and Urban Development during the AGM. This platform, he noted, aims to foster synergy, share experiences, and develop innovative measures to bolster housing development across African nations.

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“The African housing problem is for Africa to solve. And we as Ministers of Housing must recognize that we are the ones responsible for providing the solutions and driving the process towards fixing Africa’s housing challenge.”

“Solving Africa’s housing problem requires a unified approach, urging ministers to work together, share lessons, and engage with external stakeholders collectively. At the end of this AGM, we also plan to have a Kigali Declaration to signify and communicate our collective desire to Prioritise housing development and commit to taking concrete steps towards making a substantial difference”, he said.

“The Kigali Declaration aims to unify our voices to achieve common goals and tackle shared challenges. It seeks to highlight to the global community the urgent need for coordinated action on climate change, emphasising its impact on Africa.   It is important to state that the Kigali Declaration will not just be words on paper. We have ensured that it is based on a well-prepared roadmap for “How to Finance and Deliver,” leveraging the professional expertise around Shelter Afrique Development Bank. Our aim is to make a difference. And this is possible”, he added.

Managing director/chief executive of ShafDB, Thierno Hann and the Board Chairperson, Dr. Chii Akporji reinforced the minister’s call for collaboration stating that the Bank had undergone significant reforms and reorganisation and is now better positioned to deliver on its mandate of providing affordable housing to citizens of its member countries.

He encouraged African countries to double down on their support of the Bank by making timely payments of the capital subscriptions and enabling effective project implementation.