The Trillion Dollar Economic Growth Opportunity
Shelter Afrique estimates that African urban areas will need 565 million housing units between 2015 and 2030. That is almost 40 million homes a year, easily the world’s biggest housing development opportunity. Uganda’s Vision 2040 calls for the development of 13 cities, each housing almost 3 million people, by 2040. The cost to build these cities will exceed $500 billion and the impact to the economy will be at least $2.5 trillion. WaRP contends that meeting Uganda’s housing needs through 2040 is the best and fastest way to propel the country from low to middle income.
TO ACHIEVE A CITY A YEAR, UGANDA SHOULD BUILD MORE THAN 500,000 URBAN HOMES A YEAR, EVERY YEAR, OVER THE NEXT DECADE.
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
Uganda is a low-income country that has to grow into a middle income country. Building 13 cities by 2040 will get it there. However, delivering 13 cities in 24 years is unprecedented for any African country. This work will need bold, disruptive and overly optimistic thinking, and action. WARP is leading the charge to turn this seeming crisis into Uganda’s greatest economic growth opportunity. WARP has secured a mandate from the National Planning Authority to guide the government in the delivery of these cities.
WARP’s emphasis on universal homeownership will prove an important point:
Housing is the engine of the economy. Homeownership is the fuel.
THE CHALLENGE
WARP is addressing the housing and urbanization challenge at scale. The constraints often blamed for Africa’s inability to adequately house its people have to be ignored or eliminated.
THE SOLUTION -- GO BIG!
WARP is addressing the housing and urbanization challenge at scale. The constraints often blamed for Africa’s inability to adequately house its people have to be ignored or eliminated. WARP will make housing development formal and predictable. Projects following the established template will be hosted on platforms that will attract foreign investment for construction and end-user financing. WARP has developed strategies to address financing, land management and execution… Read more can replicate content from the document.
SOLVING HOUSING CHALLENGES AND CREATING SOLUTIONS
Creating Balance through smart economics
Africa’s new cities have to become global templates for new and better ways to organize and manage economies.
Changing the world through Disruptive Thinking
Overwhelming challenges require disruptive thinking and bold action. Business-as-usual is not an option.
A window into developing country psychology
A majority of people in developing countries are pessimistic because they do not see improvements that point to a hopeful future. A few people are doggedly optimistic but they are not enough to counter the sense of pessimism. A large dose of optimism and possibility thinking would be half the solution to African economic malaise. With an overwhelming number of young people, an optimistic Africa can drive the world’s economy for the foreseeable future.
World level thinking
We cannot look at problems and their solutions in isolation. WARP may be focused on Uganda and Africa but that does not mean we are not looking out for the world. On the contrary, we are taking on Uganda’s urbanization challenge because we are certain that success or failure will have a major impact on the world. We are banking on success and a positive impact on the world.
A City A Year
WARP will build an average of a new city each year to keep up with rapid population in growth in sub-Saharan African countries. The development of these cities will create jobs and businesses, and increase economic output to propel African countries to middle income status.