Housing in Southern Africa July 2015

Infrastructure & Mixed Use

T he African Union for Housing Finance is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for its 31st Annual Conference, to be held from 26-28October 2015 at the Safari Hotel and Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia. Abstracts covering the following is- sues are invited alongwith any others that address the main theme of the conference, Making Housing Finance Markets Work in Africa: Financing the housing value chain; Financing the mortgage portfolio; Growing the capacity of housing micro lending; Harnessing the property market; AUHF 2015 F rans Pienaar of Inyatsi Con- struction says, “Countries have various standards which have to be followed with each individual contract and specific industry body. However, there are general basic standards for the construction indus- try worldwide. These basic standards tie up and align to a certain extent.” It is important to adhere to these standards, because compliance invites investment. Adhering to standards assures investors that the product delivery is of good quality, which makes it easier for investors to get involved. “Inyatsi Construction has been involved in many projects including building roads to connectmembers of the community to their place of work, as well as many other amenities. We pride ourselves on the infrastructure projects we have been involved in, from roads, hospitals and clinics that offer health services to communities, to schools that provide education to our future leaders. We also contribute through our CSI programmes that run in the areas where we operate,” explains Pienaar. The new airport in Swaziland, for example, helped to grow the local country’s gross domestic product (GDP), while upgrading the main link between the south and north of Africa through the town of Living- stone in Zambia, which improved

Housing finance that responds to demand. All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the programme commit- tee. Papers will be assessed on how well they contribute to the theme of the conference considering the significance, relevance, correctness, originality and clarity of the paper. Submissions should be made using the Speaker Submission Template that can be downloaded, All speakers will be expected to register for the conference and cover their own registration fees, travel and accommodation. Proposals

should be emailed to: registrar@sbs. co.zawith “AUHF2015 proposal” stated in the subject line of the email. Deadline dates: 24 July 2015: Submis- sions of proposals; 8 August 2015: Notification of acceptance or not; 30 September 2015: Submission of presentation material. For further information con- tact AUHF 2015 Conference Sec- retariat on 021 914 2888 or email registrat@sbs.co.za ■ developing countries. Better facili- ties lead to an increase in population density while also providing markets for other businesses. It also provides comfort to inves- tors and stimulates the market for new developments, while the level of education around these develop- ments increases, contributing to the availability of skills in turn. Improved infrastructure also lowers the cost of doing business. Businesses thrive on access for people and freight because it enhances the ability to reach mar- kets in a cost-effective way. Pienaar says that Inyatsi Con- struction has been developing Sub- Saharan Africa responsibly since 1982. It has been accredited with the International StandardisationOrgan- isation (ISO) as well as the National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA) for meeting national as well as international standards. ■

Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Adhering to national and international standards helps construction companies to assure investors that they can be held accountable, as it ensures responsibility, which in turn lowers risk levels.

traffic flow, growing revenue for the town. Infrastructure projects such as bridges and roads in Mozambique and Swaziland also provided a foun- dation for local development, such as the bridge over the Great Umbeluzi River in Mozambique that stimulated growth in the border town of Goba. The dual carriage-way in Swaziland between Mbabane and Matsapha is also contributing to development in the region. All these projects were completed by Inyatsi Construction and have a positive impact on the lives of com- munity members in these areas, be- cause the construction of infrastruc- ture such as schools and hospitals contributes to economic growth in

July 2015