African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF)

The AUHF was established as a non-profit trade association and an affiliate of the International Union for Housing Finance (IUHF) in June 1984. It was an umbrella organisation for housing finance institutions with 11 members in seven countries and was known as the African Union of Housing Finance Institutions.

The association maintained links with, and was supported by international bodies such as the United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Over the years, the African Union for Housing Finance has changed its name three times to reflect its expanding membership base and its alignment with the IUHF. Secretariat functions were first carried out from Nairobi, then Lagos, then Llilongwe and Harare until the AUHF’s Secretariat was permanently established in South Africa and FinMark Trust’s Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa was appointed to take over the Secretariat function.Following of the formation of CAHF as an independent company in 2014, CAHF has carried on the role of being the Secretariat of the AUHF.

The regulatory environment remains a challenge in most countries: governments have not been cohesive and robust enough in addressing low-income housing from a policy and regulatory point of view. As a result, lenders and developers have concentrated on the middle and up-market environment.

Since 2005, the AUHF has been registered as a non-profit company in South Africa, incorporated under section 21 of the Companies Act, 61 of 1973. In July 2012, the association adopted a Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI) based on the Companies Act 71 of 2008. The MOI was adopted by special resolution passed on 6 July 2012, substituting the existing memorandum and articles of association of the company.

In order to realise the vision and mission of the organisation, and to achieve the objectives listed above, three key objectives namely: Member Services and Capacity Building, Investment Support, Lobbying and Advocacy will be pursued in concert with one another. Each activity feeds into the other and overall delivers a series of products and services to the AUHF members. The activities envisioned are listed below, and are managed by the AUHF Secretariat;

1. Networking and Collaboration: Facilitating collaboration across public and private sectors to drive sustainable housing solutions in Africa.
2. Investment Support:Identifying and connecting stakeholders, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts and promoting investment in affordable housing.
3. Lobbying and Advocacy:Engaging with policymakers, regulators, regional and continental bodies, and financial institutions to promote policies and frameworks that enable the environment for affordable housing development and finance across Africa.
4. Capacity Building and Professional Development:Equipping housing sector players with research, training, and assistance to strengthen Africa’s housing finance ecosystem.
5. Member services: Promoting AUHF members work and encouraging best practices among the sector leaders in Africa

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