Recently I attended a conference hosted by Urban LandMark (an organisation dedicated to making urban land markets work for (and with) the poor, founded in 2006). The conference was held in Johannesburg over two days (from the 13th to the 14th March 2013). And it had a stimulating line-up of speakers each of whom were well versed in their respective sectors. There was an array of topics being presented and discussed.  Of particular interest to me was the second session titled: Investor impacts in African countries, with a particular focus on Chinese investments in Africa. Discussing this topic was: Allan…

It is incredible the change that occurs in an area over a defined period. Four years ago there were two Cashbuild stores supplying the largest district municipality of Capricorn in Limpopo Province, in the north of South Africa. Going back today, that number has more than doubled, and rightly so due to the noticeable scale at which many people are improving their houses. The demand for housing construction materials is evidenced by the upsurge in these building stores. Alongside the growth of building stores is the number of households that are either in the process of renovating or adding rooms,…

Industry Insight (a company established to provide market intelligence on South Africa’s construction industry) launched their second quarter report for 2012 titled: The State of the South African Construction Industry.   Industry Insight provides data on the construction industry’s four sectors: Residential, Social Housing, Non-Residential and Civil Works. The construction industry plays a very important role within all built environment sectors. The residential sector (inclusive of social housing) is largely affected by fluctuations within the industry. It is therefore important that we are aware of the changes that occur in the construction sector. Some of the interesting points that emerge from…

During the first week of this month (1st – 6th October) I attended a five day intense Housing Finance Course at the University of Cape Town (UCT): Graduate School of Business. The program is a joint venture between UCT and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa and the African Union for Housing Finance were the main sponsors. The course was absolutely captivating, in that it clarified the entire spectrum of the housing process, inclusive of all the role players. I come from a town planning background and it was a…

Professor Phillip Harrison gave a very convincing account of how the government envisions the future of South Africa through its newly drafted paper – The National Development Plan, which was handed over to the president in parliament on the 15th of August. The NDP is essentially a developmental vision from national government, and aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by the year 2030.  I attended a seminar at Wits University in Johannesburg, on Tuesday afternoon (21 August), in which Prof. Harrison (who was one of the people commissioned to draft the report) reviewed the future plan but from a…

Every second year the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs releases population estimates and projections of the urban and rural populations of all countries worldwide. The 2011 revision revealed that Asia and Africa will lead in urban population growth by the year 2050. Asia’s urban population will increase from 1.9 billion to 3.3 billion, and Africa’s population will increase from 414 million to over 1.2 billion. According to projections made in the report, both these continents will account for 86% of the increase in the world’s urban population by 2050. Cities are the engines that drive national economies…

Ghana’s housing deficit currently stands at 1.6 million units, and escalates with each passing year.  A programme by the Ghana Business Report recently explored four reasons contributing to the housing crisis in Ghana, and explored some of the possible solutions: 1.  Land use management: Ghana does not have a comprehensive land management plan, and this makes it unable to respond to the high rate of urbanisation. In 2009 over 50% of the population in Ghana were urban dwellers and the figures were projected to reach 65% by 2030. The programme reports that Ghana’s lack of a spatial plan is already…

The Ghana Business Report is a 30 minute monthly television report centred on business related themes. The report is televised as a documentary and its aim is to provide “financial literacy, entrepreneurship and business development”. The story “Can Local Developers Bridge the Housing Gap” was commissioned by Channel Two Communications, a communications and media company based in Accra (Ghana). The documentary aired on the 8th of September 2011 and was posted on the website on 19 October 2011. The following is a summary of the 26 minute report.  Thanks to Ken Corsar, MD at Adehyeman Savings & Loans Limited in…