What is the AUHF?
Since its formation in 1984, the AUHF has evolved into a member-based, industry association of mortgage banks, building societies, housing corporations, Development Finance Institutions and other organisations involved in the mobilisation of funds for shelter and housing on the African continent. As an industry body, the AUHF promotes the development of effective housing markets and the delivery of affordable housing across Africa, working in the interests of the members and the industry as a whole. The AUHF is governed by a board of industry leaders elected every two years at its Annual General Body. The Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF), based in South Africa, acts as the Secretariat of the AUHF.
AUHF Mission
To support its members in realising their vision, through networking and deal facilitation, information collection and dissemination, lobbying and advocacy, and capacity building and training.
AUHF Vision
An enabled and productive housing finance sector across Africa where governments and the private sector work together to develop and maintain efficient and effective housing markets and access to adequate and affordable housing for all.
Scope and objectives of the AUHF
The AUHF is committed to promoting housing finance on the African continent and is grounded on the following objectives:
- To identify and connect stakeholders, establishing a vibrant and supportive housing finance sector across the African continent;
- To understand and communicate the key issues facing practitioners and our members in the housing sector in Africa;
- To promote best practice in the affordable housing industry across Africa;
- To enable members to respond to the challenges and opportunities within the contexts of their businesses, supporting better engagement between the public and the private sectors;
- To promote and drive effective professional development among its members through the provision of housing finance training;
- To provide members with opportunities to network with one another, share information and build capacity towards improved housing finance systems in Africa, through the delivery of conferences, seminars, workshops, member exchanges and other mechanisms;
- To ensure the effective governance and sustainability of the AUHF towards the realisation of the mission and overall objectives.
- To promote member interests in making housing finance markets work in Africa.
The History of the AUHF - 39 Years of Housing Finance in Africa
“The cornerstone of this new action agenda is the recognition of the absolute necessity to foster co-operation between the public and private sectors, and the evolution of those aspects of nation building that each can do efficiently. Regardless of the political and humanitarian motivations of governments, national strategies must reflect the limited capacity for the public sector to meet all the development requirements of the people. They cannot do the job alone. All non-governmental economic and human resources must be mobilised in the development effort, including the formal private sector, private associations, co-operatives and community groups. All have a valuable role to play in establishing an efficient and productive development strategy”. Recommendations on Shelter and Urban Development, Mangochi, Malawi 1987.”
The AUHF was set up in June 1984 by key individuals to unite and represent building societies in Africa and to find ways to tackle housing finance challenges on the continent, in the context of redress and meeting the development needs of people. To start, the AUHF had eleven members from eight countries in Africa and was funded by grants from the International Union of Housing Finance (IUHF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The AUHF is a registered Non-Profit Section 21 company. To confirm our status please click on the documents below.
Kehinde Ogundimu
Chairperson,
CEO, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company
Nigeria
Mildred Mutesa
Vice Chairperson,
MD, Zambia National Building Society
Zambia
Mfundo Mabaso
Secretary & Chair of the Investment Committee,
Growth Head, FNB Home Finance, First National Bank
South Africa
Johnston Oltetia
Treasurer
CEO & MD, Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company
Kenya
May Abdel Hamid
Director,
CEO, Social Housing & Mortgage Finance Fund
Egypt
Samuel Akinin
Chair of the Membership Services Committee,
Founder, Atenu Developments
Namibia
Pascaline Sefawe
Director,
Deputy CEO - Corporate Services, Botswana Housing Corporation
Botswana
Paul Jackson
Chair of the lobbying and advocacy committe,
CEO, TUHF Limited
South Africa
- Chairperson: Mr. Paul Jackson, TUHF Limited (South Africa)
- Dr Fred Msemwa – Watumishi Housing Investments (Tanzania)
- Ms Chiketsani Chenai – CBZ Holdings (Zimbabwe)
- Ms Nfwama Mfula – Zambian Home Loans (Zambia)
- Ms Nkeiru Arum – Family Homes Funds Limited (Nigeria)
- Mr Mduduzi Dlamini – Eswatini Housing Board (Eswatini)
- Chairperson: Mr. Mfundo Mabaso - FNB Home Finance (South Africa)
- Mr. Robert Hornsby - Jobomax (United States of America)
- Ms Olajumoke Akinwunmi – Alitheia Capital (Nigeria)
- Ms Nfwama Mfula – Zambian Home Loans (Zambia)
- Ms Maureen Katuvesiraunia – International Finance Corporation (South Africa)
- Chairperson: Mr. Samuel Akinin - Atenu Developments (Namibia)
- Ms. Khulile Dlamini - Eswatini Housing Board (eSwatini)
- Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi – The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (Nigeria)
CAHF acts as the Secretariat for the AUHF. CAHF also provides significant research and analytical capacity for the AUHF and serves a facilitation role for the AUHF in the sector.
API provides support in organising AUHF events such as the Annual AUHF Conference.
1985
With limited financial resources,
governments of independent African countries are prone to invest in productive industries ahead of housing and other urban development. This is understandable but not
far-sighted. (Chairman)
1989
At the AGM in Alexandria, Egypt, it
was agreed that the Union should
change its name to The Africa Union of Housing Finance Institutions “to follow the lead of the International Union and allow for a broader base of membership. (AGM Minutes)
1993
The AUHF membership now
stretches from Egypt in the North,
Ghana and Nigeria in the West, to
South Africa and to Mauritius in the
East. (Chairman)
1995
Throughout the continent, housing
finance institutions are grappling with
the issue of lending to low income
borrowers in the face of high inflation
and increasing interest rates.
(Chairman)
1998
Both the challenges and the dangers of globalisation are overtaking us as
Africans. (Chairman)
2000
…many of our members trooped to Rio
de Janeiro for the 23rd World
Congress of the IUHF. The African
delegation was one of the largest, with
participants from East, West and
Southern Africa. (Chairman)
2001
The banking sector is experiencing
substantial difficulty in accessing
on-going finance for low-income housing
because of the negative impact of
broader environmental issues. (Report
on the South African Region)
2002
Most of our member countries experience
tremendous disparities between
those who can afford housing and those
who can’t even afford basic shelter. This is
a recipe for long term instability and can’t
be good for the long-term sustainability of
our institutions… ( Chairman)
2003
We identified HIV/AIDS as a critical issue
in housing finance because of the
potential risk presented by the impact
of this pandemic. (Chairman)
2005
For Africa the question is to engage (Statement by members, AGM)
passively or actively in this partnership
(with China). In the end how (Africa)
responds to China is the subject matter
to ensure long-term economical
security for the continent. (Chairman)
2007
The AUHF is now officially registered in
South Africa as a Section 21 company.
(Chairman)
2009
The 27th World Congress of the IUHF
was organised under the huge
shadow of the Global Financial Crisis.
Issues that had direct bearing on
developing countries therefore (were
given) little attention. (Chairman)
2011
In many of our countries…the backlog in
land titling undermines the development
of mortgage markets, which rely
on the underlying security of land
tenure to facilitate affordable finance…
For Africa the question is to engage (Statement by members, AGM)
2013
this is what the AUHF should be about –
giving members an opportunity to
showcase their work on a wider platform
and facilitating linkages between players
towards the on-going improvement of
their work. (Chairperson)
2014
I attended the IUHF’s 100th anniversary
in Munich on September 11-12. It was a
great event with more than 130 participants
from 40 countries – among them
11 delegates from Africa. (Chairperson)
2015
One of the attractions of conferences of this nature is the networking opportunity. The mission of the AUHF is to do just this: to support our members through capacity building, research, and business opportunities through networking. (Chairman)
2017
The NUA envisions cities that are accessible in all ways to all residents, and in which the public and private sectors work together to achieve this goal. (Kampala Declaration)
2018
Traditional financiers have been playing in the game of house purchase. Very few people, however, can afford a complete house. But we have a situation where land is very cheap and almost everybody has access to land. (Mr Twaambo Hamsute, Zambia Home Loans)
2020
If we are to realise the goal of affordable housing for all, we must draw in the participation of breadth of housing sector participants. And if we want all players to engage, we must demonstrate the market opportunity that will sustain their participation. (Andrew Chimphondah, Chairman Group Chief Executive of Shelter Afrique and AUHF Chairperson)
2021
The Government of Rwanda is going to support development of affordable housing products through providing infrastructure and incentives. (Felix Nshimyumuremyi, Director General for Rwanda Housing Authority (RHA))
1988
Counsellor Abdel Baki invited the
Union to hold the 1989 General
Meeting in Alexandria, Egypt.
(AGM Minutes, 1988)
1990
Mr Mensah recommended that the
AUHF seek observer status from
organisations like UN Habitat, OAU,
and African Development Bank.
(AGM Minutes)
1994
South Africa’s elections … saw the
removal of the final vestiges of
apartheid and opens the way for South African housing finance institutions to play a key role in the development of the Union. (Chairman)
1996
We have continued to research and
develop an understanding of the
informal, or alternative lending industry
such as credit unions and savings clubs…
(Chairman)
1999
At a workshop in Johannesburg we
debated) high interest rates, defaults,
foreclosures and social housing
options in the wake of the financial
meltdown which began in the Far East
but carried us with it… (Chairman)
2001
The overall state of the region has to
be one of instability, hardly a conducive
environment for housing
development. (Report of the East
African Region)
2001
As a result of a severe devaluation of
the local currency in 2000, most
Ghanaians can no longer afford to
purchase completed house (Report
on the West African Region)
2003
While some countries have seen
reasonable economic growth, the
continent has experienced severe
economic downturns, exacerbated by
war, famine, poor governance and
unsound policy environments.
(Chairman)
2004
Poor people living under $1-dollar a
day worldwide increased from 474
million in 1987 to 552 million in 2000.
The vast majority of these are in
sub-Saharan Africa.” (Chairman)
2006
Housing is a basic human right and a
primary foothold to the climb out of
poverty. Yet the prevalent homelessness
in virtually every country on the
African continent suggests that
providing a basic necessity requires
addressing complex issues. (Chairman)
2008
…members should use the informal
settlement upgrading report to start
engaging government. Governments
are likely to show much interest
because of the extreme challenges that
slums pose in most of our countries.
(Chairman)
2010
Mr Coovadia reported that the Exco
would make all the necessary arrangements
to hand the secretariat over to
CAHF/FinMark. (AGM Minutes)
2012
The AUHF is now governed by a
Memorandum of Incorporation, based
on the Republic of South Africa
Company’s Act 71 of 2008. (Chairperson)
2013
… the complexity of the housing process
makes partnerships a necessity. (AUHF
press release)
2014
On behalf of the Board of Directors of the
African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF),
I am delighted to welcome you to beautiful
Cape Town to join us in celebrating the
AUHF’s 30th anniversary. (Chairperson)
2016
We, the members of the AUHF, are committed to:
Working in collaboration with each other, and other stakeholders, whether in the public or private sectors, to promote the realisation of sustainable human settlements across Africa. (Abuja Declaration)
2018
The key question in (end user finance for) affordable housing is - how do you lend to low income residents and make a profit? In some countries (e.g. India) lenders are making a profit. (Mr. Thierno Habib, International Finance Corporation)
2019
I am pleased to note that, at this Conference, as distinguished experts, practitioners and panellists, you are here to share your views on various elements relating to Realising Housing Affordability in Global Markets. I am confident in your endeavours to learn and share. (Honourable Min. Sisulu)
2021
The purpose of this conference and organization is to create ways to make affordable housing possible. (David Akinin, CEO of Atenu Developments)