Housing in Southern Africa

July 2015

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

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

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

■

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

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

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

Infrastructure & Mixed Use

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.