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 HOMES & CONSTRUCTION EXPO 

As Uganda’s population continues to grow, so is the demand for housing facilities. Although the current population growth is estimated at 5.67%, there are only 2.4 million housing units, with a deficit of 210,000 in urban centers. In rural areas, the deficit stands at 1395,000 units. 

To cater for the population, the Minister of State for Lands, Sam Mayanja, advises a review of the affordable homes strategy to ensure that housing units are affordable by all members of society.

Minister of State for Lands Sam Mayanja addressing expo-goers at the Homes and Construction Expo.

Mayanja made the call on Saturday, November 25, at the inaugural Physical Homes and Construction Expo, organised by Vision Group.

The two-day event is taking place at Kololo Independence Grounds under the theme "Innovation, Standards and Opportunities, supported by Steel and Tube".

He cited cases where some organisations have constructed what they termed as low-cost houses, however, the acquisition cost of sh100m per unit may not cater for those in need.

“If we are going to look at those at the bottom of the market, we must look at the entire concept of low-cost housing.

"We have to cater for that man who has a laptop and all his gadgets and is ready to stay and work from his home for a month without going out. Will he be able to afford sh100m in low-cost housing?" wondered Mayanja.

Don Wanyama, the Chief Executive Officer of Vision Group talking to an exhibitor at the expo.

The minister said that despite the government's efforts to provide relatively low-cost housing, a more affordable and robust plan for closing the housing gap will have to be considered by the government.

“This will necessitate government intervention working with the private sector where the government can set aside incentives to encourage private developers into the housing sector so government intervention is inevitable."

He also advised exhibitors that before construction, one must understand the different ways of land acquisition, adding that this is in two forms. One is where the government acquires land from an individual or institution, and the other is where an individual acquires land from an individual, private sector players or private entity.

Innovations on show at homes expo

The expo, which has assembled experts in the homes and construction sector, started two years ago, however, it has been a virtual event. 

It turned out to be physical this year following requests from readers of the Vision Group Products like the Homes and construction section in Saturday Vision, to have a physical expo, explained Vision Group CEO Don Wanyama.

He explained further that the objective of the expo is to facilitate networking between service providers and experts and the consumers of the products, make it possible for industry experts to interact with consumers but also connect them to home buyers among others.

“We wanted to give a platform for people to showcase cutting edge innovations, emerging technologies, that they can use to make the home construction business profitable but also affordable."

Other opportunities at the expo that the public should take advantage of include financing options for construction, guidelines on land acquisition, how to verify documents, compound design, art and deco for the homes among others.

In an earlier interaction between the experts and showgoers, legal experts cautioned the public against using cash when conducting land transactions, to avoid brokers if possible and ensure thorough investigation before acquiring land without proper ownership.