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Chuks Udo Okonta
Pan African housing development financier Shelter Afrique has advised African governments to strengthen their national statistics bureaus in terms of providing adequate funding to enable them capture important data for various sectors, including the housing sector.
Shelter Afrique’s Managing Director Thierno Habib Hann said data is critical in the development of any sector as “it informs policy decisions by governments as well as investment decisions made by private sector participants including financiers and developers.”
“Housing is a sector that leads economic growth and therefore it’s important to get access to critical data to drive investment and take informed decisions. When we have data then we have a better understanding of what’s driving the housing market and make policy decisions to improve impact in the sector,” Hann said.
“Often, where data is not available or severely limited, underlying administrative or regulatory processes are inefficient or poorly aligned with the needs of the market. Data Management in the housing industry should be anchored on improved visibility, laying the foundation for better governance, more appropriate regulations and sustainable participation of the financial sector,” Mr. Hann emphasized, adding that “data in the housing finance industry needs to be reliable, accurate, and verifiable.”
Hann noted that going forward, Shelter Afrique would require that developers avail requisite data for use by the organization before committing to finance any project.
“This is the only way we can be transformational and change the industry,” Hann said.
Hann spoke at the 17th edition of the Africa International Housing Show – one of Africa’s biggest housing and construction expo- held from 24th to 28th July 2023 at the International Conference Centre, Abuja – Nigeria.
The show features product presentations, exhibitions of building technology, home interiors, modern construction equipment, chemical and paints products, mortgage services, housing projects, and interactive forums with prominent stakeholders in the built industry from all parts of the world who share a collective goal of achieving affordable housing.
