Kenya hosts the second annual housing forum

Aidah Munano, Principal Secretary of the State Department of Housing and Urban Development at Kenya’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development delivered the opening address at the 2nd annual Housing for East Africa Forum on 5 October 2016 at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi. 

The Housing for East Africa Forum is held as part of Totally Construction East Africa, the region’s leading alternative construction technologies and buildings materials show.  Totally Construction East Africa, now in its 3rd year, is an annual conference and exhibition for all built environment professionals operating in East Africa.

Kenya’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development supports the initiative this year with participation in the conference programme and on the exhibition floor.  Other pivotal support for this year’s platform comes from Kenya Vision 2030 and the Kenya Property Developers Association (KPDA), an organisation mandated to work with government and other stakeholders to promote policies that stimulate the property sector.

Totally Construction East Africa enables technology transfer while broadening communication channels amidst public and private sector.  By hosting world renowned industry experts such as Dr. Ephraim Senbatta, Director of the American Concrete Institute in Ethiopia, Wolfram Schmidt, Researcher from BAM Germany, Johan van Wyk, General Manager of the Southern Africa Readymix Association in South Africa and more, Totally Construction East Africa offers a gateway into future construction practices for the region as a whole.

East Africa is a hotbed of construction activity. Rwanda is positioning itself as the region’s financial and conference centre, Tanzania has begun tapping an estimated 58 trillion cubic feet of natural gas from offshore fields, Uganda is gearing up to become an oil producer by 2020 and in Nairobi, Kenya the value of approved building plans surged 41% in the first half of 2016 alone.

In line with this regional growth, Totally Construction East Africa brings together the region’s leading project owners to source and identify top contractors and suppliers and reach more project targets on budget and on time. Not only will the event provide access to leading innovative builders and engineers, it will also provide them with practical training on how maximise building sustainability and structural integrity in the local marketplace.

Sponsored by ARM Cement, Kumkang Kind Co., Elematic, Indoors East Africa and Wall-ties & Forms, and supported by more than 35 local partners including Kenya’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Kenya Vision 2030, National Construction Authority of Kenya, Kenya Property Developers Association, Southern Africa Readymix Association and many more, Totally Construction East Africa unites the entire cement, construction, housing and property market industry value chains to raise levels of productivity and competitiveness, accelerate structural transformation and make the shift toward an inclusive, sustainable growth path in East Africa and beyond.