Despite efforts by national and global institutions involving both private and public sector agencies the backlog continues to grow. Having thoroughly appraised and evaluated the needs and obstacles to achieving the vision we know what needs to be done It is because delivering tens of thousands of affordable homes to meet critical demand cannot be achieved by any single entity in the world that we have formed a Strategic Partnership that will operate in a synergistic manner with its partners and be capable of dealing with the problems standing in the way of efficient and rapid delivery.

Having understood the array of problems in African countries we have a vision and a solution backed by a practical and realistic plan involving the creation of a special partnership comprising entities that together can address the entire spectrum of critical issues.

The Strategic Partnership is illustrated in the diagram below:

Advances in solar water heating and photovoltaic technologies and their continuing cost reduction coupled with the escalating direct and indirect costs of conventionally generated electricity has meant that this renewable energy source is no longer out of reach of the average household but has become an affordable source of energy for even low income households.

Electricity consumption for hot water generation can account for up to 40% of the total electricity consumed by the average household. Yet despite the high solar radiation levels in Africa, solar energy is underutilised with a relatively small number of solar water heaters being installed compared to countries in Europe which has much lower solar radiation levels.

Benefits include increasing the householders’ capital and decreasing their vulnerability. Studies show that the installed renewable energy technology causes positive changes in low income households and that solar water heaters contribute positively to the alleviation of energy poverty through providing a constant source of heated water.

Thus the provision of solar water heating and photovoltaic systems would form an integral part of our standard house package. Other ‘green’ environmentally friendly methods such as waste water recycling and water treatment would be incorporated in our affordable housing developments where the availability of bulk treatment facilities and local conditions validate their suitability.

Inadequate infrastructure remains a major obstacle towards Africa achieving its full economic growth potential. With Africa seen as one of the world’s fastest growing economic hubs, meeting the demand for key infrastructure has been identified as a priority.

This translates into exciting opportunities for investors who need to look past the traditional Western view of Africa as a homogeneous block, and undertake the detailed research required to understand the nuances and unique opportunities of each region and each individual country Existing infrastructure and services providing water, electricity and roads and to remove waste and treat sewage are generally inadequate and have been overwhelmed by excessive demand.

Climate Change is already with us but despite its clear danger it also presents opportunities to design appropriate infrastructure. Being dependent on the availability of sound well designed infrastructure, successful housing development cannot proceed without prior planning and provision of such infrastructure as a key element of any new housing development.

Making early provision for infrastructure in the planning process and motivating governments to take part in PPP arrangements, will ensure commercial success and long term sustainability of our projects.

Mortgage portfolios of most banks in Africa generally do not favour housing development and home ownership. Banks’ reluctance to provide home building loans particularly affects the low and middle income earners, who are unlikely to ever own a home under present circumstances while placing increasing pressure on government social housing schemes, if these are available.

Although a country’s mortgage activity forms an important part of its GDP that affects it international economic standing and investment and borrowing capacity, the reality is that expenditure on housing development by most African countries has been minimal and remains an inadequate portion of it GDP.

To compound matters further, according to the World Bank, only 3% of the sub-Saharan population can afford mortgage loans partly because of overpriced houses but primarily because of lack of affordability. Government land policies, procedures and regulations (red tape) also make home ownership unaffordable and take up as much as 20% of a home’s selling price. By working together with governments to simplify regulations and trim red tape we will reduce these costs to acceptable levels.

Similarly, conventional house finance practices, procedures and instruments include excessive documentation, legalities and processes that add unnecessary costs to the house purchase price. Given this background and acknowledging the importance of affordable finance MHIAL has built relationships with banks and finance institutions who are keen to participate as strategic partners.

We will work closely with our finance partners to streamline and simplify procuring finance to the benefit of home buyers. In addition to these steps our professional team will work closely with our partners to create high-quality, cost-effective house designs that are user friendly, durable and relevant to local conditions and preferences.

An important element in the endeavor to reduce costs without jeopardizing quality is the use of Alternative Building Technology – ABT. While brick and mortar construction is by far the preferred method it has become increasingly expensive and is out of reach of the majority of home buyers.

Many novel alternative technologies have been developed over time and while offering more affordable housing they often involve the use of artificial materials and components that are manufactured in foreign factories and provide little skills transfer and local job creation.

We have participated in the development of Alternative Building Technology that combines state-of-the-art methods know-how with well-established and proven practices that will match the benefits of conventional brick and mortar construction in every respect.

SCEB [Stabilised Compressed Earth Block] construction has been used for thousands of years to the extent where almost 40% of the worlds population live in earthen houses. As a consequence of new developments and modern technology SCEB has become the material of choice in many developed countries including the USA where there are many examples of their use in up-market housing where their natural qualities such as thermal efficiency [insulation among others], durability and aesthetic benefits have been well proven.

Thus our unique approach as well as the economics of scale due to increased volume will offer quality homes and living environments at affordable prices to much more than a tiny fraction of the population.