The Chronicle
Leonard Ncube in Victoria Falls
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa is expected to officiate at the 41st Shelter Afrique annual symposium general meeting which starts here on Monday.
Zimbabwe expects to host more than 40 African countries during the weeklong meeting which seeks to deliberate on a number of housing issues faced by the continent including financing.
Major international financiers, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank and other developers are expected to attend.
The country is a shareholder of Shelter Afrique, a pan-African banking institution that exclusively supports the development of affordable housing and real estate sector growth in Africa.
The programme is expected to run from Monday until Friday and President Mnangagwa will officiate on the first day on Monday.
The theme for the conference, which seeks to address looming challenges emanating from the nature of our built environment, economies and the unavoidable truth of climate change is: “Climate Change and the Built Environment.”
The speakers will include Shelter Afrique chairman Mr Ephraim Bichetero as well as the organisation’s chief executive Mr Kingsley Muwowo.
According to the programme, the AGM will feature African Finance Ministers Roundtable and this will be attended by Reserve Bank Governors from member states. There will also be a business development engaging session with Zimbabwean developers as well as exhibitions that will run parallel to the conference.
There will be a Ministerial roundtable of Ministers in charge of housing and plenary sessions to discuss a cross section of issues relating to housing while Thursday is dedicated for the AGM.
Africa has a huge housing backlog, which has to be cleared by 2063.
According to the Shelter Afrique research arm, Centre of Excellence, the overall shortage of housing in Africa is estimated to be 56 million housing units.
Zimbabwe has a housing backlog of more than 1,2 million units.
The conference unveils an opportunity for the Government to shape and lead the conversation on affordable housing in the region and confirms that the country is viewed as an ideal destination for foreign direct investments.
Delivering affordable and quality settlements in urban and rural areas is one of the core targets set by the Government under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) as the Government seeks to improve access to affordable and quality housing and social amenities.
Government targets to deliver a cumulative 220 000 housing units, for both rural and urban by 2025.
Article Source: The Chronicle