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As a first step, policymakers must acknowledge that housing is a matter for attention across multiple sectors and multiple departments. This means that it is not only the housing and land department that must champion housing investment, but also the central bank and national treasury, as well as the national deeds registry.

In recent years, most African countries have witnessed an unswerving surge in the house prices which is actually a cause for concern in several quarters. For instance, the ABSA housing index in South Africa shows that the average price of small houses () have risen from R660 953 in 2011 Q1 to R777 343 in the fourth quarter of 2012. Meanwhile, in the so-called affordable segment (), the average price rose from R292 790 in 2009 to R345 388 in the last quarter of 2012