The 29th Annual General Meeting of Shelter Afrique was held in Uganda in 2010 addressed Housing Policies in Africa: Implementation effectiveness, impact and lessons learnt. At the start of a new decade, there is a need to review the policy environment in Africa, not only to measure growth, successes and challenges but more importantly to forecast the next ten years to shape policy for our member-states.

The claim is often made in development circles that Africa does not suffer from a policy gap but an implementation gap, and while that may be accurate to a degree, it belies the fact that quite often the African policy environment has remained static and undynamic. If we consider the fact that Africa is urbanising at a rapid rate without the consequent increase in productivity, it reveals the current situation where we are urbanising without industrialising.

The import of this is that rural-urban migration continues without the jobs to sustain that urbanisation which often leads to slum-dwelling; do policies in Africa recognise this dynamic? How are plans in Africa reacting to the constant but recently urgent case of Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs) as they have a bearing on urbanisation and housing demand? How are policies in Africa accounting for the effects of climate change and the possibility of global epidemics as a consequence? Is it possible that the Ebola epidemic that spread through West Africa a few years ago is also a failure of Housing Policy? The contagion was spread mostly in informal settlements or slum dwellings; these are some of the questions to consider as the conversation on Housing Policy is addressed.

The focus on policy is a natural fit for Shelter Afrique. In recent years, it has coalesced its efforts on policymaking and advocacy into the Centre of Excellence (CoE), which will serve as the convener of the Symposium. More so, given the context of the 40th anniversary and the opportunity to engage it retrospective, it may be more useful to showcase what we expect the future of affordable housing to be in the next four decades. It provides an opportunity to drive this conversation.

It is clear to see from the recommendations from 2010 that a lot of the issues highlighted are still prevalent today; the symposium will look to answer the following areas and highlight what we believe will work in the coming years. This list is not exclusive and will be modified where necessary:

•Housing Problem in the African context
• Have African countries supported policies or laws to encourage PPPs?
• Have we established a Best Practice Framework for Policy?
• How does the African Union efforts on the Model Law play a role in shaping African Policy?
• What has been Africa’s response and recovery strategy to the COVID19 Pandemic as it relates to affordable housing and urban development?
•What strategies need to be put in place to enhance Africa’s attainment of the affordable housing and urban development targets within the context of the 2030 SDG’s decade of action?
• What is the relationship between the African Common Position on Habitat III and National Policies?
• How does technology play a role?
• And what does the African Continental Free Trade Area work for housing?
• How will Africa address the matter of rapid urbanisation without industrialisation?
• How does Africa react to the emerging concerns of Internally Displaced Persons?
Addressing policy allows The CoE position itself as a vital part of the conversation on the Model Law and the African Common Position, both of which Shelter Afrique has committed to as part of its efforts to integrate into the African Union.
It also shows continuity in Shelter Afrique’s approach and will allow SHAF to demonstrate its convening power.