Mission

To promote access to housing across the WAEMU region by providing innovative, diversified, and scalable housing finance solutions. AFINHAB mobilizes long-term resources from regional and international capital markets and development partners to support housing finance institutions, while offering refinancing, securitization, guarantee mechanisms, and other financial solutions that strengthen the entire housing ecosystem.

About Afrique Finance et Habitat (AFINAHB)  ( formerly known as CRRH-UEMOA)

AFINHAB (Afrique, Finance et Habitat) is a regional housing finance institution serving the eight countries of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU/UEMOA). Formerly known as the Caisse Régionale de Refinancement Hypothécaire de l’UEMOA (CRRH-UEMOA), the institution was established in 2010 by the West African Development Bank (BOAD) in partnership with 23 commercial banks to develop the regional mortgage market and expand access to housing finance.

The creation of the institution followed a study undertaken in 2005 by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), BOAD, and the Regional Council for Public Savings and Financial Markets (CREPMF). Since commencing operations in 2012, AFINHAB has become a leading housing finance institution in West Africa, mobilizing long-term capital to support housing lending by banks and financial institutions.

In June 2026, CRRH-UEMOA rebranded as AFINHAB to reflect its broader strategic role in housing finance. While refinancing mortgage loans remains a core activity, the institution now offers a wider range of solutions, including securitization, first-loss guarantees, social bonds, and other innovative financing mechanisms designed to support affordable housing and the wider real estate ecosystem.

AFINHAB has mobilized hundreds of billions of CFA francs in long-term financing, supported thousands of households in accessing housing, pioneered the region’s first social bond dedicated to affordable housing, and completed the WAEMU zone’s first residential mortgage-backed securitization transaction. The institution aims to significantly expand its development impact and position itself as a leading architect of housing finance solutions across West Africa.