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Shelter African Development Bank (ShafDB) and the African Union (AU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to address critical housing and urban development challenges in Africa.
This partnership, which grants Shelter Africa observer status with the African Union, is in line with Agenda 2063 and underlines our shared commitment to ensuring a high standard of living, quality of life and well-being for all Africans.
The MoU outlines key areas of cooperation aimed at tackling Africa’s housing shortage, promoting sustainable urban development, and advancing capacity-building efforts.
With approximately 53 million homes needed across the continent and a $1.4 trillion funding gap, this partnership leverages innovative solutions, resource mobilization, and policy development to create lasting impact.
Cooperation scope
The MoU highlights strategic cooperation in the following areas:
Sustainable housing and urban development: A collaborative initiative to support environmentally sustainable and climate resilient communities. Addressing the housing shortage: Developing strategies to reduce housing inequality and improve urban living in Africa. Capacity development: Training programs and workshops for policy makers, developers, and housing and urban development stakeholders. Resource mobilization: Coordinated efforts to secure financial and technical resources, including partnerships with regional and international financial institutions. Policy Development and Advocacy: Developing and advocating beneficial policies to elevate the housing and urban agenda on national, regional and international agendas. Research and innovation: Cooperation on research, data collection and the introduction of innovative technologies in housing and urban planning. Environmental sustainability: efforts to make housing and urban infrastructure more resilient to climate change.
The agreement also includes provisions for cooperation with AU institutions such as AUDA-NEPAD and the African Union Fund for Peace to harmonize efforts across the continent.
Operationalization of MOU
To ensure effective implementation, ShafDB and the AU will develop a Joint Action Plan (JAP) outlining specific activities, schedules and review mechanisms. This cooperation may also include staff secondment agreements and supplementary agreements to address emerging areas of mutual concern.
Ambassador Albert Muchanga, AU Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM), said: “We warmly welcome Shelter African Development Bank as one of our strategic collaborators. Together, we look forward to strengthening our efforts to unlock Africa’s investable wealth and mobilize it towards closing the continent’s housing shortage on the basis of inclusive and sustainable urbanization.”
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Tierno Habib Khan, Managing Director of ShafDB, said: “This MOU marks an important step forward in our shared vision of sustainable housing and urban development in Africa. As a pan-African multilateral development bank focused on housing and urban development, we are confident that this collaboration with the African Union will expand our capacity to create innovative solutions that address housing shortages and improve the quality of life for millions of people.”
