“It always seems impossible until it's done,” said Nelson Mandela. This inspirational quote could serve as a mission statement to raise funds to tackle Africa's huge affordable housing deficit.
It would seem strange to make a case for multilateralism, at a time of Covid vaccine nationalism and Brexit unilateralism, but Africa, on the other hand, is embracing it.
On January 1, 2021, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) entered into force. Historically, this is not new; cooperation has always been at the normative heart of the foreign policy of African nations; it is often philosophized as Pan-Africanism.
In many areas, such as security, immigration and education, African countries have often been eager to cooperate, rooted in feelings within the group created by a shared colonial legacy. Beyond the much-vaunted benefits of the AfCFTA, it offers a new opportunity to reconsider a pan-African approach to development on the continent - especially in response to the predictions of some.
In the housing sector, a meeting of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1981 created a sideline product multilateralism, namely Shelter Afrique. one of Shelter Afrique's flagship projects corresponds to this bill. Rugarama Park Estate in Kigali, currently under development, is a sustainable housing development of 3,000 affordable units. It also proves that public-private partnerships are the most viable way to tackle the housing deficit across the continent,
Multilateralism presupposes community of problems and as such it also provides for commonality of ideas; what are often called best practices. In recent times, we have come to understand that we cannot just focus on financing and accessing affordable housing, but that we also need to look at the political environment. The best way to do this is multilateral.
IT'S MORE THAN JUST THE SPIRIT
Beyond the viewpoint of multilateralism, this approach has practical and tangible advantages. On the one hand, the rationale of creating of creating an organization like Shelter Afrique is to pool resources and capacities to tackle a problem common to all.
Beyond that, collective action on things like trade solves shortages of building materials that are often imported. The AfCFTA is a noble ideal that will undoubtedly face challenges like all multilateral efforts; however, a single market will remove trade barriers, push back protectionist policies and, most importantly, create a norm, a tradition where intra-African trade has priority.
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that all policy areas are interconnected. It is not just a health crisis; it is a crisis of education, transport, IT, economy, security and housing. these are matters which exceed borders so the housing deficit is not to be outdone; and should be considered, especially for African countries.
Source New African Magazine
-----
For daily real estate updates!
