Affordable housing received a boost when Agence Francaise de Developpement (AfD) entered into a loan agreement with the National Housing Finance Corporation (NHFC) on Thursday.

The loan agreement is worth ?20-million (R225-million), the NGFC and AfD said in a joint statement.

"The funding is intended for social and private rental projects supported by the NHFC," they said.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, NHFC chief executive officer Samson Moraba said his organisation would continue to look to partnerships with the private and public sectors to deliver on its mandate.

Demand outweighs supply

"The demand for housing, in the affordable target market supported by the NHFC, continues to be far greater than the supply thereof and the Corporation continues to seek out opportunities to enhance delivery," he said.

The project aimed to partly or fully finance activities that had been pre-identified by the AfD.

"The projects meet the NHFC criteria for social mix; close proximity to areas of employment and transport; and high urban density," the NGFC said AfD said.

AfD chief executive officer Jean-Michel Severino said that until recently, downtown Johannesburg had experienced a period of disinvestment and deterioration.

Revitalising central Jozi

"We believe the implementation of renovation policies and projects, such as the social housing initiative by NHFC, will attract residents, tourists, businesses and investors to revitalise this urban area," Severino said.

The AfD credit line to NHFC would support the rehabilitation of central Johannesburg by, for example, funding corporate programmes such as the Affordable Housing Company (Afhco).

Afhco has been funded by the NHFC for its provision of low-cost housing and urban renewal in Johannesburg.

The NHFC said it continued to be a funder of social housing institutions and in the current year had provided funding to projects in all provinces where such projects were being built.

"AfD as an institution is not new to us as we have enjoyed a healthy and vibrant relationship with them," Moraba said.

"Together, we have in the past together organised a very successful seminar that attracted influential stakeholders in low-income housing, both national and international."

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