Housing must remain at core of urban development, Ugandan official says in Baku

With urbanization accelerating across both developed and developing countries, policymakers are increasingly emphasizing the need to place housing at the center of national development strategies.

Speaking on the sidelines of World Urban Forum 13 in Baku, Ugandan housing official Dave Khayangayanga said the forum offers a key platform for countries to exchange practical solutions and strengthen cooperation on sustainable urban development.

According to him, the forum provides an important platform for United Nations member states to exchange experiences and practical approaches to urban development and housing policy.

“As member countries of the UN we have to share experiences on how best we can address issues of urban development as well as housing,” he noted.

The Ugandan official stated that Uganda is looking forward to learning from Azerbaijan’s experience while also sharing its own initiatives and policy approaches.

“Uganda definitely has a lot to learn from Azerbaijan, but also learn from us,” he said.

Khayangayanga also highlighted Uganda’s current role as chair of the African Union Technical Committee No. 8, which focuses on urbanization and housing issues across the continent.

He recalled that the second Africa Urban Forum was held in Nairobi last month, where participating countries adopted a declaration centered on practical solutions to housing challenges.

“As a chair we had the declaration which focuses on practical solutions to the housing challenges which we have,” he explained.

According to him, discussions at WUF13 will help further develop cooperation among UN member states and strengthen efforts to place housing at the core of urban development strategies.

“We shall be able to discuss this more and concretize it with our colleagues from other UN member countries such that going forward we put housing at the center of urban development,” Khayangayanga added.