HUD at Pan-African Cities Expo 2024: Building partnerships to support housing goals
Written by Melon Habte, IPAD Program Analyst
In late June 2024, America-Africa Cooperative, in collaboration with the University of Maryland and Bowie State University, hosted the 2nd Pan-African City Expo at Bowie State University. The expo, which ran from June 26 to June 29, brought together academics, government officials, civil servants, and private sector experts to discuss housing safety and human settlements in the context of global housing insecurity, climate change, urbanization, real estate development, and innovative building technologies. The previous Expo, held as a hybrid conference in Durban, South Africa in 2022, served as a platform for hosting discussion panels, presenting research papers, and networking.
Dr. Calvin Johnson, Assistant Secretary, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Oversight; Cindy Campbell, Director of International Philanthropy; And I attended the expo on behalf of HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research, where Acting Secretary Adrian Todman gave opening remarks. Addressing a large delegation of representatives from African countries, Mr. Todman highlighted President Biden’s commitment to “promote resilience and adaptation across the continent” and emphasized the importance of increasing opportunities for cooperation and partnership. In his speech, Todman noted that President Biden has pledged to invest $55 billion over three years in Africa starting in 2023 to address a variety of issues, including digital access and economic growth. This investment is in addition to $7 billion in private sector investments in areas such as clean energy and transportation across Africa.
Acting Secretary Todman also said that a number of Cabinet members and leaders from various U.S. government departments were visiting the continent “to expand our substantive and meaningful partnership.” The expo was an opportunity to expand these efforts through a conference between the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development. Maryland; and South Africa’s Department of Housing, National Department of Human Settlements. The meeting, led by Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day, was an opportunity for all involved parties to determine future virtual interactions.
The expo provided a platform to explore solutions to South Africa’s challenges of rapid urbanization and housing shortage. Dr. Tshepan Mosiea, Director of Inclusive Development and Innovation at the South African Department of Science and Innovation, and Dr. Nana Mhlongo, Deputy Director of Research, Policy, Strategy and Planning at the South African Human Settlements Department, who led the South African delegation, noted during the conference that South Africa, like the United States, is focused on innovation, disaster management, climate change and building more affordable housing.
Dr Mosiere said affordable housing was a pressing issue in South Africa due to rapid urbanization and lack of available housing. According to the Department of Human Settlements website, the South African government is trying to address this lack of access through initiatives such as the social housing program, which provides rental housing to low-income households.
Dr Mhlongo noted that recent natural disasters such as extreme flooding have further exacerbated the lack of access to housing, and stressed the importance of focusing on disaster management and climate change to address housing inequalities.
The expo provided numerous opportunities for researchers and practitioners to discuss topics such as the impact of social housing on South African cities, climate resilience, community participation in sustainable infrastructure development, and sustainability in the construction industry.
