Shelter Afrique has told advised African governments to increase funding to their national statistics bureaus to enable them capture crucial 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,” said the Shelter Afrique MD.
Hann made these remarks 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.
This show featured product presentations, exhibitions of building technology, home interiors, modern construction equipment, chemical and paints products, mortgage servicesand housing projects. The event also involved interactive forums with prominent stakeholders in the construction industry from all parts of the world.
He said that 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.
Shelter Afrique is pushing developers to avail requisite data for use by the organization before committing to finance any project.
