Housing is central to achieving the SDGs

While housing is explicitly articulated in Target 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is a key component of sustainable development across all of the goals.  Good housing drives access to basic services, contributes towards inclusive growth, and supports the development of a sustainable future, with a direct impact on the factors that contribute or mediate the effects of climate change.  Investment in affordable housing will therefore have a profound and direct impact on at least 14 of the SDGs.  CAHF’s work spans all of these areas, as we seek to support investors realise their SDG objectives in affordable housing in Africa. 

Target: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.  Indicator 11.1.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing.

Housing drives access to basic services and impacts profoundly on the health and well-being of low income households.  With urban and home-based agriculture, it provides a base for realising food security.  Good accommodation can enhance the performance of school children, improving their ability to access quality education.  Access to clean water and sanitation is secured at the household level through the delivery of good, affordable housing.  Increasing access to affordable housing finance builds the economic infrastructure in support of productive housing markets for all.

Housing contributes towards inclusive growth.  Home ownership builds asset wealth, enables job creation, supports economic growth and facilitates financial intermediation.  Providing equal rights to economic resources, including ownership and control over land, the legal framework governing housing supports gender quality and reduces levels of inequality.  Housing is a productive investment and can shift credit usage away from consumption, increasing income-earning potential, through home-based enterprises.  A functioning housing market enables municipal revenue collection, supporting sustainable cities.

Housing contributes towards a sustainable future.  Every step in the housing construction process should be configured in support of climate goals, improving the sustainability and affordability of housing and urban living.  Renewable energy, sustainable sanitation and the use of sustainable building materials all contribute to the realisation of  the SDGs at the household level.  Green financing offers a key lever to effectively realise these goals.

CAHF is focused on enhancing the availability of reliable data to enable all role players – governments, the private sector and households themselves – make good choices towards investment in affordable housing.  CAHF believes that in providing market intelligence that makes the case for investment in underserved markets, we can support a better policy environment and increase private sector activity in housing markets across Africa.  In this way, we catalyse scale interventions towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals and affordable, adequate housing for all.