Ghana is set to host the 2007 African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF) conference aimed at formulating strategies for innovative housing finance products in Accra next week. The Union would also hold a training programme and it’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) alongside the Conference, a press release issued in Accra by the Ghana Housing Finance Association (GHFA) signed by its Executive Secretary Mr. Philip Odetsi-Martey has said. It is under the theme: “The future of sustainable housing finance system towards affordable housing and infrastructure.” The release said the conference would identify challenges and potentials for micro housing finance to support upgrading activities such as affordable housing and infrastructure. Ghana was chosen at the AUHF AGM held last year in Kigali, Rwanda and attended by HFC Bank to host the 2007 annual congress. The release said about 150 delegates and resource persons are expected from Africa and beyond to attend the Accra conference. Participating countries would include South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, and Mozambique. Others are Botswana, Malawi, Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The rest are Rwanda, Germany, India, Canada, The Netherlands, USA and Ghana. The AUHF AGM/Conference and Housing Finance Training Programme are being sponsored by HFC Bank, IFC and CMHC of Canada, FMO of The Netherlands, the Ghana Housing Finance Association and other local and international agencies. According to the release, the training programme preceding the AGM/Confab would focus on various topics under “Loan Origination and Servicing in Effective Housing Finance Management”. Speakers will comprise policymakers and representatives of the World Bank among other stakeholders. Source: GNA