As in much of the rest of Africa, in Zambia formal land titles are often impossible to obtain and mortgage finance is usually available only to the very rich. Lilayi Estates, an innovative public-private partnership in Lusaka, offers people of ordinary means an innovative one-stop-shop where buyers select a home design, arrange financing, and buy land and a house in a single visit. Launched in May, Lilayi Estates aims to build 5,000 homes. Backers include OPIC, USAID, Chartwell Capital Group of South Africa, and Houses for Africa Zambia Ltd. (itself a partnership linking two U.S.-based NGOs and a Lusaka-based financial services firm). Is Lilayi Estates replicable? Could it be a model for other housing projects in the developing world?
The discussion, featuring John Simon, Executive Vice President, U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Ted Galante, Director, Chartwell Capital Group and Michael Bolton, Director, Chartwell Capital Group, was chaired by Todd Moss, Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development.
