Urban Housing Affordability Problem in Africa: A Search for Pragmatic Solution
The paper takes a holistic view of the housing affordability problem to discuss its multifaceted nature vis-à-vis the political, social, institutional, economic and financial milieu of Africa. The paper reviews the definitions of housing and housing affordability and analyses relevant secondary data obtained through archival research and Google search to propose pragmatic measures for resolving the problem in the context of the socio-economic, cultural and political milieu of Africa. It concludes that the enormity of the problem is a function of the vested interest of the power brokers who are profiting from it, the market, the unwitting application of western models to Africa, poverty, and the sheer neglect of the time-tested African means of affordable housing delivery by the housing policymakers of Africa. A major fascinating finding is that the people can build themselves cheap houses that no-one (including the government, international bodies, aid donors and especially the market) can build for them. All they need is help with infrastructure provision. Therefore, the problem is not insuperable – it can be resolved if we have the will and commitment to do so by tapping the indomitable African spirit, self-determination and enterprise to provide a contextual African model solution for the African urban housing affordability problem. The findings could help all stakeholders to work together to resolve the problem in a meaningful, practical way for the benefit of Africa.
