Co-operative housing schemes are being used to tackle Africa’s affordable housing crisis, reports the Guardian Nigeria News.
Population growth, rapid urbanisation and the soaring cost of home ownership have left millions of people across the continent homeless. Sub-Saharan Africa is hardest hit, with 55% of the population facing excessive housing costs. The affordable housing deficit for the whole continent is estimated at more than 51 million units, which is projected to hit 130 million by 2030.
To help build affordable homes, many countries in Africa are turning to co-operative housing models to meet the huge demand for new homes.
The use of co-operative housing schemes was discussed at the 2026 Cooperative Housing Summit Africa, held in Abuja, Nigeria from 19-20 May. More than 500 delegates from over 10 countries heard over 30 speakers discuss Africa’s housing future using co-operative schemes.
The convener of the summit, Yemi Adelakun, said: “Co-operative housing has become one of the most realistic pathways to reducing Africa’s widening housing deficit, especially for low and middle-income earners shut out of conventional mortgage systems.”
Across much of the continent, high interest rates, limited access to long-term financing, and unstable income levels means millions of people struggle with home ownership.
With traditional housing finance hard to access, another option is pooling resources into a co-op model, which makes land acquisition, housing development, and repayment structures more affordable and accessible to ordinary citizens.
Adelakun added that as well as providing shelter, co-operative housing promotes community development, social inclusion, and economic empowerment by enabling members to collectively own and manage their housing projects.
Co-operative housing models have already proved popular and successful in several countries including Kenya, Egypt, and Senegal, allowing people to build and own their own homes by collaboratively working on long-term planning and sharing financial responsibility, the summit heard.
To encourage the growth of co-operative housing initiatives across Africa, Adelakun emphasised the need for governments, financial institutions, private developers, and development partners to create policies and funding mechanisms which targeted the sector.
Supportive regulations and affordable financing are critical to ensuring that more people benefit from co-operative models, he added.
Adelakun said the summit had brought together policymakers, housing experts, investors, co-operative societies, and other stakeholders from across the continent to showcase ideas and learn from each other. The result had been a wide range of innovative strategies, partnerships, and sustainable solutions aimed at tackling Africa’s housing crisis and providing access to affordable homes.
