African economies are burdened by high-interest rates: high borrowing costs reduce the continent’s overall growth potential. Particularly, they hinder borrowers wanting to enter into longer-term commitments, such as home-buying, often the largest investment any household will make. Despite the durable value of housing and its suitability as collateral, most African households do not have access to affordable housing finance. Despite the durable value of housing and its suitability as collateral, most African households do not have access to affordable housing finance. As a result, they can only afford to build their homes incrementally in line with the savings they gradually manage to accumulate. The high cost of housing finance is detrimental not only to unleash the collateral value of existing properties but also to realize the considerable potential for productive employment in the housing sector.