Organisation Name: Urban Think Tank Empower
Project Name: Empower Imizamo Yethu
Country: South Africa
Community Redevelopment: In partnership with the City of Cape Town, UTTE is transforming one of Cape Town’s most at-risk informal settlements into a community-driven development. The project will deliver 140 homes, social facilities, and green spaces, powered by renewable energy, benefiting over 3,000 residents and creating 900+ jobs.

Organisation Name: GGF Africa
Project Names:
1 – Masuwe Special Economic Zone
2 – Sunway City Residential Flats/ Apartments
3 – Chishawasha Urbanisation Project
4 – Campion Mazowe Residential Development
Country: Zimbabwe
Driving Large-Scale Urban Transformation: GGF Africa, through the JR Goddard Consortium, is advancing four major housing and urban development projects across Zimbabwe. These initiatives combine private investment with national priorities under Vision 2030, aiming to catalyse tourism, residential, and mixed-use development while creating jobs, attracting investment, and building sustainable communities.

Organisation Name: Onsite Building Systems Ltd (Onsite ICF)
Project Name: Nyumba Bora Initiative
Country: Kenya
Rent-to-Own Financing: This initiative provides below-market-rate financing for households excluded from traditional banks. Partnering with SACCOs and community-based organisations, it delivers affordable homes using Onsite ICF Technology, structured under a rent-to-own model for long-term affordability.

Organisation Name: Easy Housing
Project Name: Tutajenga Rentals
Country: Kenya & Uganda
Affordable Rentals: Tutajenga provides sustainable, affordable rental housing for low- and middle-income families in East Africa, where home ownership is often out of reach. Partnering with landowners and investors, its SPV model pre-finances construction and manages properties, creating a scalable solution for affordable, green rentals in Nairobi, Kampala, and beyond.

Organisation Name: Rentscore Africa Limited
Project Name: nesti
Country: Kenya
Community Redevelopment: nesti is an app that tracks and verifies tenant rent payments to generate a RentScore, an alternative credit signal that transforms rental payments from a sunk cost into proof of financial discipline. Targeting lower-income tenants, nesti is relevant to millions of renters.  The generated RentScore, a record of financial discipline and capacity, will ultimately enable access to rent-to-own homes, structured deposit payment plans, and mortgages. By embedding financial coaching and savings tools, nesti will prepare tenants for ownership and create a scalable pathway to affordable housing across Africa.

Each year, the AUHF hosts a mock deal-making session as part of the conference programme. For the past two years, this has taken place as the “Mock Sharkroom” – a dynamic platform where real projects were tested in front of potential funders.

This year, to align with our theme “Blended Finance for Affordable Housing: Making the Numbers Work,” we’re evolving the format and introducing The Blender – a live, high-stakes challenge event where affordable housing project promoters pitch real-world blended finance transactions to a panel of lenders, DFIs, donors, regulators, and more.

It’s still a mock event, designed to help participants sharpen their presentations, engage directly with stakeholders, and receive honest, constructive feedback – but with a stronger focus on targeted partnership-building and real investment matchmaking.

This is not a simulation. These are real projects and real funders