Abidjan renters face Africa's housing crunch

Renters in Abidjan are struggling to find affordable, decent homes as Ivory Coast's economic capital grows and housing supply fails to keep pace.

Veronique and Faustin Kla have searched for months for a home where they can raise their one-year-old son. Faustin Kla said their monthly budget rose from 80,000 CFA francs, or $142, to 100,000 CFA francs as the search dragged on.

A May report by UN Habitat said Sub-Saharan Africa had the world's highest rate of rental unaffordability, at 55 percent. The agency defines rental unaffordability as households spending more than 30 percent of income on rent.

Ivory Coast has had more than a decade of economic growth, but the minimum wage of 75,000 CFA francs is not enough to secure decent accommodation. Abidjan's population has doubled in 20 years to more than six million people, while housing supply remains insufficient.

Some renters must also pay fees before finding a home. Estate agents in Abidjan charge between 5,000 and 10,000 CFA francs to view a property. Eric Djedje said he searched for two months before finding a house in Cocody, then had to make large up-front payments before moving in.

Landlord Aboubacar Bamba said Djedje had to pay one million CFA francs up front for a property with monthly rent of 180,000 CFA francs. The sum included deposits, advance rent, an estate agent's fee, water and electricity meter installation fees and other charges.

Yao Ernest Kouadio, a geography lecturer and urban planning researcher at Cocody University, said government policy had not kept up with Abidjan's population growth and that informal settlements had increased.

The government says Ivory Coast has a housing deficit of 800,000 units, growing by at least five percent each year. It has announced plans to build 150,000 homes by 2030.