ABOUT THE

AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (AMCHUD)

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Background

In the past two decades rapid urbanisation has emerged in Africa as one of the key challenges. Specifically, estimates are that Africa’s population in cities will in the fourteen to eighteen years double since each year as 200 million additional people take up residence in urban areas. In the absence of adequate infrastructure and the prevalence of poverty slums are as a result proliferating. Over 72% of urban residents presently reside in slums.

In 2003 the Second General Assembly of African Heads of State considered the challenges and adopted Decision 29[1] that called for a co-ordinated African response. The response needed to accord and promote the vision encapsulated in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), which vision recognises cities as engines of socio-economic development and growth. At the same time, it needed to implement Goal 7 Target 11 of the Millennium Development for the improvement of the lives of slums dwellers by 2020 including the HABITAT Agenda.

In February 2005, the Inaugural Conference of AMCHUD or AMCHUD I took place, in Durban, South Africa. A Declaration (Durban Declaration) was adopted by Ministers dealing with housing and urban development to institutionalise the organisation within under auspices of the African Union. Forty-six African governments represented by Ministers and Deputy Ministers attended the inauguration which was arranged under the theme “Urbanization, Shelter and Development: Towards an Enhanced Framework for Sustainable Cities and Towns in Africa”. An Enhanced Framework of Implementation was also adopted to provide a basis for a concerted and a co-ordinated programme of action focusing on the issues of:

• slums, shelter delivery, and the provision of and access to basic services for all;

• urbanization and human settlements within the Framework of the African Union’s Strategic Plan and the NEPAD Programme;

• governance and urban development; and

• financing for housing and urban development.

At the Inaugural Conference the Bureau consisting of South Africa (Chair), Kenya (Rapporteur), Senegal (1^st Vice Chair), Algeria (2^nd Vice Chair) and Chad (3^rd Vice Chair) representative of each of the five sub-regions of the AU was elected.

Vision:

AMCHUD’s vision is to serve as a consultative mechanism on the promotion of Sustainable Development of Human Settlements in Africa.

Mission:

The mission is to develop, facilitate and co-ordinate a common African Position on issues of Sustainable Urban Development and Human Settlements in Africa.