Mr Bongani Magongo is the Acting Chief Executive Officer for the National Development Agency, based in South Africa. He holds a BSc, from North Carolina Central University, USA and MPH from University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He was a lecture and researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand and held executive positions in a number of public agencies in South Africa. He has been a researcher for over 30 years and has published over 30 research papers and monographs. He has published 3 books on development discourse in South Africa.

Dr. Mostafa Madbouly is an Urban Planner and Architect by profession with extensive experience of 25 years in the field, out of which, 15 years with international organizations and partners. His experience is concentrated on technical and policy aspects of sustainable urban development, housing, land management and infrastructure, informal settlements upgrading in Developing and Arab countries, is a Professor and holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Cairo University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Urban Management from Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies “IHS” Rotterdam, In November 2017, Madbouly was appointed as interim Prime Minister then in 2018, President Sisi appointed Madbouly as Prime Minister, prior to that was appointed as the Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities in March 2014. Prior to that, has been the Regional Director for UNHABITAT Regional office for the Arab States since November 2012 till end of February 2014. Prior to UNHABITAT, Dr. Madbouly was the First Under Secretary and Chairman of General Organization of Physical Planning “GOPP”, Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Egypt for more than 4 years, which is the main central governmental body responsible for setting urban development policy and preparing all national, regional and city urban development plans in Egypt, prior to that chairman of Housing and Building National Research Center at the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities from January 2000 to June 2004.

Marius is CEO FNB Home Loans with >30 years focus in Affordable Housing. Started off housing business in FirstRand (RMB). Financed more than 200,000 homes . Lots of wealth creation and job creation always been pushing for a better world for all .R150bn responsibility for many years. Marius has a BCom and MBA and is a true family man with 7 children.

TileGreen’s mission is to make highly performing and eco-friendly building materials from plastic waste. Through its state-of-the-art and patent-pending manufacturing process, we were able to produce paving tiles that are more durable and stronger than cement alternatives. Their technology allows for virtually recycling all types of plastic waste to replace many concrete applications effectively, while offering added environmental, functional, and financial value to the market.”

Sabry is the head of Investment Sector of Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt. He has been working for Faisal bank for +40 years, and sharing as a member in different committees (Executive Committee – ALM Committee – Local Investment Committee – Housing Finance Committee and many other Committees in the bank). He positively contributed in supporting a high qualified department for housing finance and creating a strong real-estate finance portfolio. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in commerce and business management in 1979.

Mr. Lexton T. Kuwanda is a director at Rural Housing and Social Amenities in Zimbabwe. He has been in the housing and local governance sector for a period spanning over 14 years. Holds a degree in political science and public administration, as well as a masters in international relations.

Fred has a background that reflects his passion for people, human rights and business. His vision is to inspire and develop a new breed of African who understand and treasure their past but also sees beyond it to a brighter future. His involvement in the corporate world spans three decades at C-Suite level and most recently was the CEO of a company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Fred has also been instrumental in a model that saw the establishment and support of over 200 small businesses. His understanding of water as the ultimate economic enabler has seen him drive both policy and dialogue between Government and the Private sector. Fred currently holds the position of Chairman of the South African Water Chamber. Nexus Water Alchemy has brought the global leading water digitisation and fintech companies into a collaborative venture, Water Ledger Africa. This venture aims to address the infrastructure backlog through the use of data, AI and distributed ledger (blockchain) technology.

Lings Naidoo, Bachelor of Science Honours (Computer Science) (University of Natal) , Bachelor of Commerce (Business Management, Accounting) (UNISA) , Project Management (Chicago). Lings has over 26 years of management consulting experience, including his position as a director at Redflank since establishment and 11 years at Accenture, where he was responsible for the South African Insurance Practice from 2004 to 2006. He has led and contributed to more than 100 projects, across the financial services, resources, FMCG, public sector, and ICT sectors. Lings has worked on research, strategy, systems, process, and organisation initiatives at large corporates (e.g. Absa, Caterpillar), medium-sized companies (e.g. Department of Science and Technology, Bosch) and smaller organisations and startups

Rusmir Musić is an Operations Officer at IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group. Rusmir joined IFC in 2011 where he worked as Strategy Officer, synthesizing IFC’s first Climate Implementation Plan, and as Global Business Development Lead for the EDGE Green Buildings Market Transformation Program. Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rusmir has been living in the United States since 1996. He has a BA from the College of the Holy Cross, an MA from New York University, and an MBA from Georgetown University. In his spare time, he enjoys walking his Golden Retrievers Oliver and Dozer. His online portfolio is available at rusmirmusic.net

Zafarany is a Professor of Environmental Design and Planning at the Cairo University, he is the Former Dean Of the Faculty of Urban and Regional Planning (2015-2019). He is affiliated with Cairo University since 1990. His main specialization is Environmental sustainability in Architecture and Urban Planning, Including relation between Environment, Development and Urbanism. As a researcher, he uses a multidisciplinary approach to tackle environmental Problems, which requires Understanding of Physical sciences such as Engineering, building physics, energy and geo-sciences, as well as socio-economic and political Issues Related to Environment and Urbanism, his experience Includes working with and leading teams of multiple disciplines. Research interests Include:

• Adaptation to Environmental Hazards, (Climate Change, Sea-level rise, Stormwater.. )
• Environmental Resources Management (Land, Water and Renewable Energy)
• Indoor and outdoor Climatic Comfort, Urban Heat Island.
• Energy Conservation in Buildings and Cities.
• Environmental & Urban Conservation

As a practitioner, he is working now on protecting New Cairo from storm water using Green Infrastructure, he worked as the General Manager of Policies, National organization of Urban Harmony. (2005-2011) which gave him an Experience in Dealing with Governmental, non- Governmental and International organizations handling the politics and legislation of Urban management and Conservation. On the International level, he was the Coordinator of an International Research project (Local Climate change in 3 cities: Cairo, Nairobi and Istanbul) ,
He contributed in consolidating a Unified African vision for “2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference” leading to Paris Agreement , by Participation in a preparation conference: CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA, organized by The French Embassy in Pretoria, as a session chairman and discussant, and contributed to the final recommendations.

Mr. Ashraf Eid has over 35 years of international experience working in the field of social and economic development and humanitarian work. Ashraf is currently the National Director of Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) in Egypt. HFHI is dedicated to improving housing conditions of low-income families in Egypt since 1989. He contributes significantly to providing strategic leadership to the Habitat for Humanity team in Egypt to fulfil its mission for a “decent house for everybody”, building partnerships with a wide range of governmental and non-governmental partners in the housing sector, developing and maintaining an organizational culture that promotes accountability and high performance. Before joining HFHI, he worked with various national and international implementing agencies and donors such as Save the Children, CARE International, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Swiss Drosos Foundation. He has extensive experience in the areas of strategic management, capacity development, organization development, program management, operations and program support. He has worked on a variety of development themes such as education, environment, microfinance, gender, child protection, vocational training, entrepreneurship development and social inclusion. Ashraf holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Minya University, as well as postgraduate academic studies in Social Development (St. Francis Xavier University in Canada), a diploma in Civil Society and Human Rights (Cairo University), and a Master’s Degree in public administration from the Arab Academy for Science & Technology in Egypt.

Rania Hedeya is the UN-Habitat Country Programme Director in Egypt. She is leading an integrated programme on sustainable urban development, supporting the government of Egypt to meet its urban development challenges and targets. Rania has 30 years of experience in development work, starting with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where she acquired extensive knowledge and expertise in the areas of Decentralization and Local Development, with special focus on Local Economic Development, and prior to that in Strategic Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation. In 2013, she moved to UN-Habitat where she added to her development repertoire, by specializing in the field of sustainable urban development. Since then, she has been able to position the agency as the lead entity on sustainable cities and communities (SDG11) within the UN Country Team and Donors Partners Group in Egypt. Rania also serves as a member of board in a number of urban-related bodies, ensuring alignment of urban initiatives in Egypt to the international principles and dialogues of sustainable urbanization.

Dr. Sahar Attia is an Emeritus Professor of architecture and urban design at the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University. She served as Head of the Department of Architecture in the same institution from 2013-2017. She is currently a member of the Supreme Council of Urban Development in Egypt, a board member in of in the Egyptian Social Housing Fund, a member the Stakeholders Advisory Group Enterprise (SAGE) UN-Habitat, and a board member in Ecocity Builders-USA, and the co-director of the Social Habitat work Programme in the UIA.
She has 40 years of experience in academia, research , and practice. Aside from her teaching and research work at Cairo University, Dr. Sahar is the founder of Associated Consultants, a multi-disciplinary consulting firm, with a special focus on sustainable cities and communities. She designed and coordinated several national projects with the Egyptian authorities as well as international partners. Her national and International researches include participatory approaches in Urban Development, Urban Regeneration, sustainable urbanism , and Upgrading the Informal Areas with special focus on gender issues. which gave her strong expertise in dealing with the civil society. She has a wide diversified national and international network.
In January 2021, she has been appointed a member of the Egyptian Parliament, House of Representatives, she is also the vice chair of the Working Group on Science and Technology in the International Parliamentary Union (IPU). She is the Co-Editor of : “Dynamics And Resilience Of Informal Areas: International Perspectives” (2016), “New Cities and Community Extensions in Egypt and the Middle East” (2018), “Cultural Sustainable Tourism” (2019), and “Ecocities Now” (2020), all four published by Springer.

As a business executive and prominent investment professional, Daniel Font led numerous real estate transactions and has executed projects in France, Spain and Africa. In 2021 he founded Social Infra Ventures (SIV) a Green and Social Infrastructure Platform. SIV aims to play a key role in delivering affordable homes and urban infrastructure to low and middle-income earners in Africa, by giving access to affordable homeownership, affordable rent, and social facilities participating in a sought-after sustainable development scheme. Prior to founding Social Infra Ventures, between 2007 and 2020 Daniel was CEO, Mixta Africa is Europe’s first-mover into, and an active player in the fast-growing African Real Estate sector. With offices in Barcelona, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Mauritania and projects in Algeria and Egypt. Mixta Africa is the first international entrants into the affordable real estate market in North and West Africa with an international shareholders base as Morgan Stanley, IFC (World Bank) and Kingdom Zephyr. In 2015, Mixta Africa was acquired by ARM an established asset management company with circaUS$3.05 billion under management. Daniel has delivered 800.000 sqm, 13.000 residential units, hotel, retail, offices and golf course facilities, creating a leading firm in Africa. Daniel has held different positions in the last 10 years as COO, Deputy CEO and CEO of Mixta Africa, working in tandem with the Board of Directors, shareholders and lenders to establish long-term goals, strategies, business plans and policies. Chair of the Board of Directors of Holding Company, Chair of the Board of all the Subsidiaries of the Group and Chair of the Investment Committee for all projects, new investments, new acquisitions and expansion to new markets. Prior to Mixta Africa, Daniel was Head of the Spanish Business of Diagonale Group a leading French real estate developer, leading investments of over €80M in Real Estate project across Spain and held different position in Bouygues construction in Paris, Lyon and Barcelona. Daniel received a Civil & Infrastructure engineering degree, a MBA from ESADE Business School and General Management Program from IESE Business School.

Honourable Daniel Garwe is Zimbabwe’ current Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities. He is a Quantity Surveyor by profession and an ardent advocate for sustainable and decent housing. Honourable Garwe has drawn attention towards key built environment deliverables which include the revitalization of rural settlements, application of alternative building technologies, development of smart settlements, regularization of informal settlements and affordable housing. As the current Chairperson of the Shelter Afrique Bureau of the General Assembly, he is also in charge of spearheading human settlement delivery issues within the continent. He is also the Member of Parliament (MP) and Provincial Chairman for the ruling party, Zanu PF.

Prof. Dr. Abdel Moneim Elsaid is an ardent HR professional with 23 years’ experience bridging the gap between academia and industry. He received his post graduate education (MBA & PhD) from Southern Illinois University (SIUC), Carbondale, Illinois, USA, May 2002 and December 2005. He is a certified assessor from Development Dimensions Institute (DDI), UK and a certified trainer from IMPARTA, UK. He was the HR Advisor to the Egyptian Minister of Finance, Chief HR Officer (CHRO) of Orascom Development Egypt, and FMCG Division HR Manager of Americana Group. He provided full fledge HR consulting services to 34 organizations. He published 13 academic HRM papers in peer reviewed journals, presented 13 manuscripts in academic international conferences, and delivered 10 presentations in professional conferences.

Dr. Ahmed Rostom is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist at The World Bank’s Finance Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice – East Africa Region. He joined the World Bank group on February 2010. His duties include leading the policy dialogue on financial sector development and monetary reform while actively participating and contributing to multi-sectoral teams involved in policy-based and investment operations in the Africa region. Dr. Rostom has experience in leading operations in Africa and South East Asia regions and has contributed to several operations in Europe and Central Asia and Middle East and North Africa regions. He also led and contributed to several Financial and Monetary Sector Assessment assignments. His areas of expertise include macro-finance linkages, effectiveness of monetary policy, long term finance, financial inclusion and financial infrastructure in client countries. Dr. Rostom authored more than 12 World Bank Policy Research Working Papers and contributed to several World Bank flagship reports and analytical diagnostics in areas of macroeconomics, financial economics, time series econometrics and financial sector development and monetary reform. Dr. Rostom is part of the Bank’s mentoring program. His prior experience spans many positions within Goevrnment, Central Bank and Banking in Egypt. He holds a M.Sc. in Economics and Social Policy Analysis from University of York of the United Kingdom focusing on the global experience in financial and monetary sector reform. Dr. Rostom received his Ph.D. in Economics at George Washington University of the United States titled “Essays on Financial Markets and Macroeconomic Performance in Least Developed Economies—Evidence from Egypt”. Dr. Rostom received five World Bank Vice Presidency awards for operational excellence.

Joel Baur (*1990) has an MBA from UCT GSB (Cape Town), a MSc in Architecture from ETH (Zurich) and a BSc in Architecture from EPF (Lausanne). In 2012, Joel was part of the winning team from Boltshauser Architekten in Zurich of the Ozeanium Basel Competition. After completing his MSc in Architecture in 2016, he moved to Cape Town to build up and manage Citra Construction. Since 2016, Citra has developed and certified the Citra Building Technology, built over 50 homes with their technology and after starting Citra Development in 2018, secured land for over 4,000 homes in the greater Cape Town area. Citra homes stand out through their design and quality, making their owners proud. The homes have a 50% lower carbon impact, up to 5x better thermal insulation, and up to 20% lower construction costs while being extremely durable and robust. Citra Development follows a holistic approach to its development, building sustainable eStates that empower communities for longterm growth with schools, workplaces, shopping facilities, and much more.

Fernando Granados Franco is a housing and urban planning consultant at IFC’s MAS Advisory Services’ Global Housing Platform, where he supports the deployment of the READ and ASHA Tools globally. Previously, he has led or participated in multiple technical assistance and capacity building programs in Mexico, Panama, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, for national and subnational governments and multilateral organizations, such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, Habitat for Humanity, among others. He has also worked for government agencies such as INFONAVIT, Mexico’s largest mortgage bank, and Mexico’s Ministry of Social Development. Fernando is co-author of the publication “Building Better Cities with Strategic Investments in Social Housing” published by Harvard University, and holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Architecture from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico.

1. Consultant & Civil Engineer.
2. 35+ years of Experience in Business, Construction & Real estate Development.
3. Chairman of 10 companies including but not limited to:

• Redcon Construction – Redcon Development
• Redcon For Office and Commercial Centers –  New Cairo for Office Buildings
• Wajha –  Katameya for Office Buildings
• Redcon Spain –  Redcon for Office Buildings
• Redcon for Logistics services  – Redcon Equipment Rental

4. Board of Directors member in 09 Top notch business and real‐estate Companies.
5. Advisory Board Member in 5 Big Investment and real‐estate Companies.
6. Board of Directors member in 2 National federations.
7. FIABCI Board of Directors member.
8. Board of Directors member in 2 governmental companies.
9. Board of Directors member in 8 international chambers and councils.
10. Board member at the UN Global Compact – Network Egypt
11. Founding member at the “African Business Leaders Coalition” under the umbrella of the UN Global Compact – Network Egypt
12. Founder and Vice chairman for the Chapter Zero which is the part of the global Climate Governance Initiative (CGI) established by the World Economic Forum.
13. ROCC is a member in the “Egypt Green Building Council”
14. One of the pioneers to adopt the sustainability and green buildingsstandards14 years ago in “Bank Audi” fully acquired by First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). The bank is platinum registered at

Salma Yousry is an Egyptian architect and urban planner, graduated from Ain Shams University in Cairo in 2007. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Housing and Land Management from IHS, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; master’s degree in science from Ain Shams University; and PhD in urban management from the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Ain Shams University. Having worked with the private sector for years, in 2013, she joined the United Nations Human Settlements Program-Egypt- in the Governance and Legislation Program, then became the Housing and Urban Development Program Officer in 2015; and currently the urban development programme manager in UN-Habitat Egypt office. In recent years, she supported the formulation and approval of the Egyptian national housing file and strategy, launched in 2020; and lead the launch of the new urban development and upgrading approach with the Urban Development Fund in Egypt. Salma also led the inclusion of innovative tools and methodologies to provide drinking water and sanitation services to more than 2 million people in Egypt. Her current work focuses on attracting and integrating impact investments in cities to enable efficient and resilient communities and strengthen local value chains and accelerate SDGs in cities.

Dr. Assem El Gazzar is an environmental and urban planner with a broad-based, multi-disciplinary technical background, has wide experience in planning and implementing programs in wide variety of strategic developments including tourism, environment, civic, hospitality services and real-estate sectors, spent the last ten years focusing on growth and transformation strategies of large-scale developments in the Public Private Partnership domain, He pioneered application of environmental aspects in planning, tourism planning and community development in Egypt, including environmental scoping, monitoring, assessment, planning, and management, was sworn in before Egyptian President Abel Fattah Al-Sisi as the Minister of Housing and Urban Communities in February, 2019. Prior to that was appointed as the Deputy Housing Minister in January 2018, and in 2012 served as chairman of the General Organization of Physical Planning-Ministry of Housing, utilities and urban communities

Olu Olanrewaju is the Director of Altair Africa. Altair is one of the world’s leading independent housing and finance consultancies specialising in the provision of affordable housing. Prior to Altair, Olu has held a number of Chief Executive and Executive Director roles in various Affordable housing companies in the UK. He is co-founder of the the African Housing company a UK registered affordable housing development company operating in Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. He completed a Geography, urban and regional planning Bsc Hons, PGDp property and development, MBA and a Directors programme.

Allan Mutuma is an investment professional with 7 years of experience. He started he’s career in Centum as a graduate trainee, where he currently serves as the strategy and transactions manager for the real estate business vertical. ​Allan has extensive experience is structuring and fundraising real estate transactions. He has successful led several real estate fundraising initiatives with a cumulative investment of USD 10 million. Allan holds an undergraduate degree in Financial Economics, a Master’s degree in Finance and is currently pursuing his PhD in Strategic Management.​

Dr. Farouh is a Professor of Environment and Sustainable Urban Development at Egypt’s Housing and Building National Research Center. At the same time, she is the National Project Manager of “Grid Connected Small-Scale Solar Systems” which has implemented by United Nation Development Program (UNDP) and the Industrial Modernization Centre (IMC) where she has acquired extensive experience in technical study, regulation and financial mechanisms for implementing more than 142 solar power plants with total capacity of 12.5 MW in 16 governorates for industrial, commercial, tourism, residential and public sectors. Further, she has participated in several consulting projects, e.g. Key Expert in EU funded project: “Support the Technical & Financial Sustainability of the Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Sector in Egypt”. She was the former Executive Director of the “Central Unit for Sustainable Cities and Renewable Energy” (2013 – 2017) in the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) under the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities where she was responsible for supporting planning, designing, constructing and operating green sustainable cities and urban communities focusing on renewable energy, energy and water efficiency, waste management, sustainable transport, and green construction systems. Dr. Farouh is certified as Edge Expert (IFC), European Energy Manger (AHK), Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Product declaration practitioner (EPD). She is member of the main committee of Egyptian Green Building and Sustainable Cities Council. She is specialized in interdisciplinary development projects national& international and she is a team leader of Green Pyramid Rating System for sustainable community version, in addition to administrative and financial institution version. She is a team member of energy efficiency building code and green building code in Egypt. Dr. Farouh has graduated from Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University “Very Good with Honor Degree” and obtained her Master and PhD in environmental and energy efficient design, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University. She has completed a post doctorate studies in “Green Technologies for Environmental Planning & Design “, Politecnico di Torino, Italy. Dr. Farouh, has a combined 24 years of academic, research, policy and strategy formulation, technical implementation, managerial, and governmental administrative affairs in the area of environmental planning and design, green buildings, integrating EE and RE in buildings as well as cities at local, national and international levels.

Ilona Roodt is the CFO at TUHF, holding a CA SA. She manages the entire financial process within the company. Her role includes financial reporting, Policy development and implementation, Treasury and Risk Management, Governance and regulatory compliance. Before joining TUHF, she held positions as financial manager at Standard Bank Property Finance & Advisory services, Portfolio Manager for Rand Merchant Bank (a Division of First Rand Bank Ltd), and Credit Manager at Nedbank. TUHF is an affordable housing mortgage finance organisation with a growth objective to leverage impact through scale. We fund entrepreneurs who own rental housing projects based on a commercial property finance rental model. Our social impact is created through our business model with our core objective being to fund affordable housing units, fund SMME’s and create access to finance. Our funding model leverages our relationships with stakeholders in development finance and Standard Bank our debt capital market arrangers.

Mehnaz was tasked to lead the development of IFC’s new advisory affordable housing products in Cote d’Ivoire to support more IFC direct investments in developers. The tools have since been deployed globally: the Real Estate Assessment of Developers (READ) and the Affordable and Socially sustainable Housing Application (ASHA) will help developers strengthen their business operational capacity and build socially sustainable housing and attract financing. In her position as advisory lead for affordable housing in Africa, she works across IFC and World Bank institutions to build new business, support developers, financial institutions and government entities to reach their affordable housing goals. Mehnaz also leads IFC’s agribusiness supply chain advisory projects in the region for diverse commodities helping farmer businesses professionalise and linking them to markets and commercial financing. She holds a MPA from Harvard, M.Phil. Development Studies from Cambridge University and BA Economics from Smith College. She is based in Cairo, Egypt.

Mfundo Mabaso is currently the Growth Head for Secured Lending at FNB.  He has extensive experience in the financial services, having worked in both the insurance and banking sectors.
Mfundo is passionate about development, particularly in the housing space. Mfundo spent some time with FNB International, where he led the development of the mortgage business in numerous FNB subsidiaries. His experience in the rest of Africa led him to be appointed to the board of the African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF) where he serves as the board secretary Mfundo also sits on the Affordable Housing Committee at BASA (Banking Association of South Africa) on behalf of FNB. He has been central to the development of innovative products and solution which have practical application in solving issues faced by customers, both in SA and the rest of Africa for FNB. During his tenure as Growth Head: Secured Lending, Mfundo has achieved innovative product development such as the eco energy collective buy-in and has been pivotal of the elevating of FLISP (Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme). He is also the interface between the bank and numerous stakeholder such as government and DFIs.

Olivia Nielsen is an Associate Principal at Miyamoto International where she focuses on resilient housing solutions. From post-disaster Haiti to Papua New Guinea, she has developed and worked on critical housing programs in over 30 countries. Olivia has a decade of experience in housing finance, housing public-private partnerships, post-disaster reconstruction and green construction. Through her work she hopes to make safe and affordable housing available to all.

Oscar Mgaya is CEO of Tanzania Mortgage Refinance Company. He has 18+ years’ commercial real estate and financial services experience. Prior to TMRC, Oscar was the Director: Real Estate for Limited Brands and worked for JP Morgan Chase and General Electric Company. He holds a BA in Finance/Management and a MA in Management from Walsh University. Oscar is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Union for Housing Finance (IUHF). He is also a Board Member of Watumishi Housing Company (WHC) and the Chairperson of the Finance and Investments Committee of the WHC Board.

Jacques has over 20 years of working experience gained in various positions in Africa, the United States and Latin America. He has gained extensive transaction advisory services, corporate finance, investment, valuation, financial analysis and M&A experience as a Director in the Deal Advisory Department at KPMG Chile and Ghana; and as a Senior Investment Officer with IFC. Prior to joining IFC, he was involved in transactions in various sectors including power generation, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Retail, Real Estate, Financial Services, Healthcare, etc. Since joining IFC he has led / is leading PPP transactions in the Housing, Transportation, Water, Energy and Waste management sectors. Jacques holds an MBA in Finance from the NYU Stern University and a BA in business administration from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce d’Abidjan (Ivory Coast). He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Public Accountant (USA & France).

Debra Erb is Managing Director of Housing Programs for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, a U.S. government corporation focused on supporting U.S. investment in developing markets. In this capacity, she is responsible for program development, investor development and marketing, as well as credit structuring and analysis for housing and other real estate sector projects. Ms. Erb has over 20 years’ direct experience in mortgage lending in the U.S. plus 12 years of international housing finance experience. Her international experience includes President of Mortgage Finance International, a boutique consulting company that worked with all aspects of mortgage finance in emerging markets. She was also President of Societas – International Institute for Real Estate Finance, a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. that was sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association of America. Previously, Ms. Erb served as Senior Director – MBA International, responsible for international membership development and liaison between international and U.S. mortgage banking companies and organizations. In addition, she managed MBA’s international conference operations and the International Mortgage Institute. Prior to joining MBA, Ms. Erb held a variety of management positions with mortgage and banking institutions in the Washington, D.C. area. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (International Non-Profit Management) from George Mason University, and a B.A. in International Business Communications from the same university.

Kehinde Ogundimu is the Chief Executive Office of NMRC and a member of the Board of Directors. He joined NMRC as Chief Financial Officer in March 2015 bringing more than 20 years of finance leadership expertise in public accounting, oil & gas, secondary mortgage, commercial banking and executive management experience to his role in NMRC. In his position as Ag. CEO, he is responsible for the overall corporate direction of NMRC. Within Finance, he guides the Controller, Treasury, Tax and Shareholders’ relations to pursue the company’s growth strategy and meet shareholders’ expectations. Prior to joining NMRC, Kehinde worked and held various positions at Capital One Bank, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Chevron and PricewaterhouseCoopers. On the Nigerian capital market, Kehinde has led multiple equity and debt financing transactions and raised several millions of dollars equivalent in Nigerian naira.
Kehinde holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, Master of Business Administration, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder.

Dennis is Program Lead for IFC EDGE Green Building Market Transformation Program in Ghana and Nigeria. He is an Urban Development professional with experience in the built environment in Ghana. His expertise includes Sustainable Real Estate Development, Real Estate Marketing and Agency, Real Estate Management, Real Estate Valuation and Business Development. He has also undertaken socio-economic surveys for voluntary relocation and other resettlement packages. He holds an MSc in Urban Policy and Development and an Undergraduate degree in Land Economy in Ghana. He is also a member of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors.

Jane is an International Development Practitioner specialising in market systems, value chain and enterprise development. She has over 25 years working experience in Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa in shelter, agribusiness and youth and women empowerment initiatives. Jane has vast experience working at management and operational levels with private, public and development sectors, developing and delivering strategies, building capacities and programmes for inclusive growth. Jane is currently working with Habitat for Humanity International as Associate Director: Market System Development. Previously Jane worked with Practical Action heading the Regional Markets and Livelihood Development programme covering the Eastern African Region, Kenya Gatsby Trust leading the Business Development Services programme, FIT Resources (An International Labour Organisation) programme as a Projects Officer, Enterprise Development Agency as a Project Officer, The Association of Makers and Exporters of Gift and Allied Articles (AMEGA-Kenya) as Programme officer and Kate Holdings Ltd. She has also successfully undertaken assignments as a private consultant supporting set up, growth, and investment attraction for enterprises across Africa, this is besides being an entrepreneur herself.

Lenore is the African Regional Program Manager for EDGE, the green building certification solution that is an innovation of IFC, a member of the World Bank Group. Prior to joining IFC she was leading the implementation of green building initiatives for a housing impact fund at Old Mutual Alternative Investments for close to four years. Her experience includes six years of project finance at Standard Bank in South Africa and London. She holds an MBA from GIBS, University of Pretoria and an MSc (Chemical Engineering) from University of Cape Town, South Africa.

With 30 years experience in running my own business in the housing and real estate industry in Africa, am passionate in expanding my business in sub Sahara African countries, while sharing my experience with other professionals.

Olivia Nielsen is a Principal at Miyamoto International where she focuses on climate resilient housing solutions. From post-disaster Haiti to Papua New Guinea, she has developed and worked on critical housing programs in over 40 countries. Olivia has over a decade of experience in housing finance, housing public-private partnerships, post-disaster reconstruction and green construction. Through her work she hopes to make safe and affordable housing available to all.

Born in Somalia, and father of 4 children, Mr. Soleman IDD is the founder, chairman and the innovation chief officer of American Dream Home International (ADHI) which was created in 2010. Initially, Mr. Soleman pursued his studies in Medical School in Somalia before migrating to Italy in 1977 where he turned to entrepreneurship. Mr. Soleman Idd is an innovative and pioneering polyglot with exceptional broad work experience in multiple sectors and countries.

Karsten is currently the CEO of  iLima Digital Foundary ,  pioneering Affordable Housing and Self-sustainable Communities  for Africa with Data-driven Construction solutions harnessing Big Data, Advanced imaging, Robotics and latest  industrialized construction technologies. Karsten is a  Senior Leader with experience in  Start-ups and  multinational technology companies in Europe, USA and Asia. Before iLima, Karsten was CRO at Bright Machines in San Francisco, SVP at Autodesk out of Paris France, VP Mentor Graphics and CEO at Adelante Technology Inc. Karsten holds a B.SC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University of Johannesburg, was a board member for 15 years on Nu 1 Business School in Europe, HEC Paris and is currently a member of the California State East Bay Big Data Advisory Council.

Mrs. Abdel Hamid is the Chairman of the Mortgage Finance Fund since September 2010, an affiliated entity to the Ministry of Investment mainly in charge of improving access to housing and finance to low income groups. Since 2016 she has also been appointed as the Executive Director of Social Housing Fund (SHF) affiliated of Ministry of Housing, Utilities and New Urban Communities. In August 2018 both funds were merged & she was appointed as the CEO of Social Housing & Mortgage Finance Fund (SHMFF). She graduated from the American University in Cairo in 1993 and has several professional diplomas in global corporate banking, credit risk management and international housing finance from American Express Bank New York and Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Abdel Hamid is a leading expert in corporate and mortgage lending with over 26 years of professional experience. Her latest positions include being Advisor to the Chairman of the Egyptian Mortgage Finance Authority, the regulator of the mortgage market. She also worked for the Crédit Lyonnais Bank – Egypt and for American Express Bank Limited – Egypt for more than 10 years as Head of Corporate Banking at the Head Office. She is currently a Board member of SAIB bank, Since April 2019 and member of Risk committee. Before joining SAIB, she was a Board member at Housing & Development Bank and member of Audit, Risk Corporate Governance committees since October 2013 till April 2019. She also served as the Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Liquidity Facility Egyptian Mortgage Refinance Company “EMRC”, a company owned by the Central Bank of Egypt, Mortgage Finance Fund and 28 banks & mortgage Companies. She was also member of audit & risk, HR and Executive committees of “EMRC”. She has also been a board member of several companies including Taamir Company for securitization and October for Development & Real Estate Investment Company. Mrs. Abdel Hamid is also a certified mortgage trainer by the US Mortgage Bankers Association “MBA”, member of the Egyptian Mortgage Bankers Federation and Head of the advisory board to the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority “FRA” on mortgage lending.

Mildred Mutesa leads Zambia’s largest mortgage finance institution, Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS). With over 15 years work experience, she has worked across several sectors
including, audit assurance services, manufacturing, and the financial services sector. She holds a Master of Business Administration with distinction from Herriot Watt University, a Bachelor of Accountancy Degree from the Copper-belt University, and a professional accounting qualification, ACCA. She is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), and a Fellow of the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accounts (ZICA). Prior to the appointment as Managing Director, Mildred worked as a Finance Director of the ZNBS. Her role would see the issue of the first listed term notes for a public entity to support housing finance in Zambia. On her clock, she has driven home ownership performance harder as ZNBS focuses on getting
more Zambians to have roofs over their heads in the most affordable manner through products such as Nyumba Ya banja (A Home for the Family) which requires a zero percent deposit as she targets to empower Zambians.

Ben is an international development practitioner, with nine years of practical experience managing projects in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. This includes almost four years living and working in India. Ben has a background in managing WASH, housing and rural development projects funded by large institutional donors and small trusts. He currently leads on expanding Reall's capacity for research and evidence collection and dissemination, and driving the widening of affordable housing data access and availability in Africa and Asia. In this capacity, Ben works closely with external stakeholders on expanding global and regional data collection and oversees Reall’s ongoing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning outputs.

Originally from Venezuela, David is a developer-entrepreneur, founder of Atenu Developments and Emanya Capital Group. Through Atenu, David has been building since 2014 in Namibia. Atenu builds privately-funded, affordable housing projects in towns around sub-saharan Africa, providing integral solutions to first-time home buyers. On the health and education fronts, Atenu builds clinics and classroom blocks for underserved populations around the nation, partnered with NGOs like the Pupkewitz Foundation and Palms for Life Fund. Emanya Capital Group is the private equity arm of their operations, which owns FinTech company OperFin, a digital identities and eMortgage platform. David is actively engaged in consulting projects for real estate funds and developers in Namibia, Cameroon, Zambia and Nigeria. Before moving to Namibia, David Akinin worked for Credit Suisse in NYC as an Investment Banker in the
Energy industry, and later covering Latin America from Chile and NYC. Previous to CS, he held positions at Google in California, Clarteza in Chicago/Paris, Fundacion Don Juan De Borbon in Madrid, and Rallytel (astartup). Fluent in six languages, Akinin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Chicago, where he was a QuestBridge Scholar. He is completing a Masters in Philosophy in Inclusive Innovation at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, researching ‘stakeholder accountability in the provision of affordable housing’. Akinin completed coursework at Harvard University and Paris VII- Diderot.

Patrick Domingos Tembwa is currently Director of Investment and Operations at  Reall. Reall (Reall Equity for All)  is UK a based social enterprise that focuses on affordable housing in Africa and Asia. Reall currently  operates in 14 different countries in Africa and Asia, including Kenya. Patrick has been with the organisation since November 2016. He has overall investment and portfolio management responsibilities, including identifying new markets and partners, execution of Reall’s investment strategy. Prior to joining Reall, he advised social enterprises in the UK tech and art sectors on fund raising . A graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (IEP) in France  and a CIMA qualified accountant, Patrick has over 20 years’ international
experience in financial management, investment and international development. He started his career in finance at British Telecom in 1998 in the UK. Over the following decade, he worked in corporate real estate consulting, in financial services at JPMorgan and RBS. In his role as finance director in 2009, He also helped setup a microfinance bank in DR Congo.

Kecia Rust is the Executive Director and founder of the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa. She is a housing policy specialist and has provided strategic support to
government in South Africa for the past 20 years. Over the span of her career, she has focused on affordable housing finance, residential property assets and property markets,
rental and social housing, and the creation of sustainable human settlements. She holds a Masters of Management degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Bachelor’s
Degree with Distinction and Honours in International Studies from the University of North Carolina USA.

Johnstone Oltetia is a finance and investment executive with over 25 years’ experience. He is the CEO & Managing Director at the Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company (KMRC), a non-deposit taking mortgage refinance pioneer in Kenya, where he is responsible for its successful establishment and operationalization. He provides strategic, financial and operational leadership for the company. His career includes roles at the National Treasury of Kenya as a senior financial sector adviser responsible for financial sector policy reforms on banking, micro finance, capital markets, pensions and insurance. Prior to this, he held progressively responsible positions at the CMA Kenya leading teams responsible for oversight of Bonds and Equities trading, fund management, investment banking stockbroking and investment advisory services.