The supply of housing: A bid for urban planning and development in Africa

In the past two decades, Africa has been undergoing an unprecedented upsurge in population and experiencing a phenomenal growth in its urban population. One of the critical issues in the urbanisation process in Africa has been the provision of adequate housing in both quantitative and qualitative terms for the increasing urban population. The paper emphasises the importance of housing in economic and social development and discusses the existing housing conditions in many urban centres of Africa. The criteria for assessment of the need for housing in Africa are outlined and measures for facing the housing challenge in the urbanisation process of Africa outlined. The paper concludes by emphasising the need for integrating investment in housing with investment in other sectors of the developing economy of Africa.