Land policies for housing development for low‐income groups in Africa

Abstract

Summary The provision of housing for the urban poor has engaged the attention of African governments for some time. Various strategies have been adopted on solutions. These have included changes in existing land holding patterns, the establishment of institutional arrangements to provide finance for housing, public provision of cheap housing, and urban redevelopment. These have often failed to achieve their objectives and have rather benefited the high income groups owing to, among others, inadequacies in the conception and execution of the policies, the lack of effective administrative, legislative and other instruments of policy implementation, and resistance to change by group interests, sometimes even including the potential beneficiaries. The paper examines these and recommends that the difference between availability and accessibility to housing land be recognized. It also recommends that emphasis be placed on site and service programmes, unserviced site programmes, squatter up‐grading and self‐help construction schemes. The paper argues the need for new administrative, legislative and financial arrangements integrated within a larger package of development policies.

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