Why are there so many unfinished buildings in Africa?

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Weak banks, poor land titling and grabby relatives all play a role

Half-made buildings are everywhere in African cities. In Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the government last year said it would take over 600 of them because they had been unfinished for so long. Dakar’s skeletal structures illustrate many of the reasons why unfinished buildings are so common—and the costs of this problem.

For Senegalese hoping to build their own homes, mortgages are rare. In all they cover only about 20% of the need. Across many African countries even the cheapest newly built house is unaffordable for most people. Instead, people break ground knowing they do not yet have the funds to finish. When they earn a little more money they add more bricks.

Pouring concrete makes sense for other reasons, too. When you start building the neighbourhood respects you, says Cheikh Abdoul Faty, who has been trying to finish the second floor of his home in Dakar for a decade. “If you have millions in the bank, people do not see it,” points out Mamadou Diagne, a consultant. If you just start building they “appreciate you more”. Relatives are also more likely to pitch in to help you finish, once construction has started.

 

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TIERRA DE DISPUTAS COLONIALISTAS.... y donde se esta jugando.a que nacion se queda con todo !!! Apuesto por China...

Η ζωή σας μπορεί να αλλάει μόνο με τις δικές σας προσπάθειες.

Its even more fundamental than that...there is no 'trust'...its that simple

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