Unlocking clean green affordable housing at scale will stimulate economic development, job creation and financial sector deepening in Africa and Asia.
1.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to adequate housing. Tackling this deficit will require a huge global investment into land, housing development, construction, and unlocking mortgage finance. Reall recognises this investment as a unique opportunity to unlock affordable housing at scale, stimulating economic development, job creation, financial inclusion, and financial sector deepening in untapped markets.
Construction plays a vital role in all national economies, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth through direct and indirect impacts. Housing contributes to economic development, not only as a mechanism for capital accumulation but equally through community development, urban planning and as a source of taxation. Born out of the UK housing sector, Reall crowds in the private sector, and delivers economic development through a commercially viable $10k home.
In Africa the affordable homes gap is approximately 50 million; in South Asia it is 70 million. To fund this, approximately $17 trillion must be invested into land acquisition and housing construction. The economic multiplier effect of this investment is an unprecedented opportunity to stimulate GDP growth and formalise housing markets. For every $1 invested, funds can stimulate at least $2.50 of economic output that can help liberate a $17 trillion uncrowded market, ripe for disruption.
Investment in affordable housing also results in significant and sustained job creation, producing five new jobs per house in Africa and Asia. Employment is a bridge between economic growth and poverty reduction. Housing construction plays an important role in urban economies, creating new jobs through on-site employment and indirectly through linkages with other industries. At the same time, the facilitation of formal and commercial housing loans for people on low incomes has powerful financial sector deepening effects, driving financial inclusion.
Reall acts as a market facilitator, sparking change by connecting financial institutions, developers, governments and multilateral agencies, leveraging their skills and streamlining processes. This market building approach catalyses economic development by crowding in private sector investment, as well input from governments and policymakers.
We amplify impact by tackling critical market blockages. Through in-country partnerships, open source data, disruptive technologies and strategic influencing, we broker changes in policy, regulation and finance to transform markets at scale. These span the entire housing value chain, from influencing local planning policies and driving down construction costs, to leveraging green investment and enabling people on low incomes to access affordable mortgages for the first time.
Ben Atkinson
Programme Lead – Data and Evidence