ON BUILDING MATERIALS AND MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGIES FOR LOW COST HOUSING IN AFRICA
Exhibition: June 30 - July 9, 2000, Saba Saba Grounds,
Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Seminar: July 3, 2000 - Sheraton Dar-es-Salaam Hotel, Tanzania

The severe shortages of materials for housing in most developing parts of the world are resulting in fast escalation of house construction thereby making house building beyond affordability of large segments of population particularly in low income brackets. 

It is being increasingly recognised that one strong option to strengthen national efforts on housing front is to promote use of innovative composite materials based on local resources from forestry, agriculture, natural fibres, plant materials, and other local resources like agricultural and industrial wastes available within small geographical regions. Besides meeting the needs of housing sector, the industrial production of the composite materials from local resources would greatly help in environmental protection, conservation of energy and employment generation in low-income urban and rural settlements. In this context, Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Government of India and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) have recently signed a MoU to strengthen cooperation between India and African countries This cooperation programme aims at promoting investment, technology transfer capacity building by sharing Indian experience, expertise and technology for low cost housing in Africa. In order to launch this project formally a India-UNIDO Exhibition-cum-Seminar was held at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania from 30^th June to 9^th July, 2000.

Within the framework of above mentioned cooperation programme, Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), Ministry of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation, in collaboration with UNIDO’s International Centre for Advancement of Manufacturing Technology (ICAMT), the High Commission of India, Tanzania and COMESA Secretariat organised the exhibition on "Building Materials & Manufacturing Technologies for Low Cost Housing in Africa" from 30.06.2000 to 09.07.2000 at Saba Saba grounds, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania as part of Dar-es-Salaam International Trade Fair organised by the Board of External Trade, Ministry of Industry, Govt. of United Republic of Tanzania. Concurrently, an International Seminar was also organised on 3^rd July 2000 at Dar-es-Salaam.

The objective of these twin events was to promote international cooperation between India and east African countries for transfer and sharing of manufacturing technologies of composite materials appropriate for housing. The Exhibition showcased the Indian experience, expertise and technologies in the area of cost-effective housing solutions for urban and rural settlements, innovative methods of financing, alternative building materials, low-cost water supply and sanitation systems and use of solar-energy based appliances and systems.

The following organisations from India participated in the exhibition:

The High Commission of India organised extensive coverage and publicity of the twin events both in print and electronic media. The High Commissioner himself met with and addressed letters to large number of dignitaries, including President and Vice Presidents, Members of Parliament, Heads of Chamber of Commerce & Industry and a large number of professionals connected with housing and construction sectors which greatly contributed to the success of exhibition and the coinciding Seminar.

A large number of local visitors (approx. 1,80,000), delegations from professional and R&D groups, industry associations, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, government and private housing agencies and high powered delegations VVIPs and dignitaries from Tanzania, Zanzibar, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi visited the exhibition and participated in the seminar.

The focus of exhibition was the live demonstration of simple machines and equipment developed in India for manufacturing of materials and components for house construction at village, small and medium scale suitable for decentralised production units. Besides machines, charts, photographs, models, solar appliances, the exhibits included a large number of samples and full size components based on agro-industrial wastes, natural and man made fibres, and other locally resources available developed and being produced in India.

The thrust of the activities under the Cooperation Programme between UNIDO working through ICAMT and Ministry of Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation working through BMTPC and HUDCO is on the following:

• Strengthening policy environment for encouraging investment and technology cooperation;
• Capacity-building requirements of institutions involved in investment and technology promotion and the Small and Medium Enterprises to meet the country-specific needs;
• Creating mechanisms for managing technology demand and upgrading process and preparing Business Promotion Plans for the existing and the new SMEs.
• Promoting establishment of Shelter Support or Building Centres in different regions of participating African countries.
• Undertaking of few Demonstration Projects with planning, design, and construction methodologies and technologies from India.
• Trading and investment in machines and equipment and cost-effective building products developed in India.
• Promoting innovative housing finance mechanisms as practised in India for strengthening low cost housing programmes in urban and rural settlements.

Various Pavilions were judged by a jury set up by the Board of External Trade, Government of Tanzania and the BMTPC’s exhibition was rated as the Best Pavilion in the Foreign Category. The exhibition was awarded the First Prize by the visiting President of Namibia in the gracious presence of the President of Tanzania and the Minister of State for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation and Dy. Director General, UNIDO during the opening ceremony on the 2^nd of July, 2000. The exhibition was later visited by the Hon’ble President of Namibia and the Hon’ble President of Tanzania in the gracious presence of the Hon’ble Minister of State for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation, Government of India. Some of the other VVIP’s who visited the exhibition were: the Vice-President of Tanzania, The Prime Minister of Tanzania, former Prime Minister of Tanzania, Delegation of Ministers on behalf of President of Zanzibar, the Members of Parliament from Tanzania & Zanzibar, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, senior officers from COMESA, local UN bodies like UNIDO, UNDP, UNEP.

A meeting was taken by the Hon’ble Vice President of Tanzania, wherein the Hon’ble Minister of State for Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, Govt. of India, CMD-HUDCO, Jt. Secy-Rural Housing, High Commissioner of India, ED-BMTPC, Dy. Director General-UNIDO, Country Representative – UNIDO, Director – International Centre of Advancement of Manufacturing Technologies – UNIDO, India participated. While conveying his appreciation for ongoing cooperation between India and Tanzania in varoius sectors, the Hon’ble Vice President of Tanzania sought India’s assistance in transferring expertise and know-how in the field of building materials manufacturing and low cost housing . He further desired that a permanent mechanism may be established in Tanzania for continuing and strengthening technical cooperation between the two countries in the area of housing and human settlements.

Functioning under the University of Dar-es-Salaam, the Institute of Production Innovations (IPI) have evinced keen interest in setting up a Technology Demonstration Centre in their premises. The institute, in the long run, would serve as a conduit for transfer of Indian technologies to entrepreneurs in Tanzania. IPI also aims at conducting training courses, generating awareness about these technologies and also encouraging entrepreneurs to setup production units of components for use in local building & housing projects. In this connection, the High Commissioner of India had a meeting with Permanent Secretary of Science and Technology and Higher Education, Govt. of Tanzania who has agreed to support the initiative of IPI. A proposal jointly drawn by IPI (Tanzania), BMTPC (India) and UNIDO Country Director has been finalised.  This is being submitted to Governments of Tanzania, India (through HCI) and UNIDO for further consideration and support.

Proposed Bilateral Cooperation

Governments of Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda have proposed to set up permanent mechanisms to facilitate cooperation with India in the areas of investment promotion, technology transfer, capacity building. Draft Memoranda of Understanding have been proposed by these three countries to be entered into with India. The concerned agencies in respective countries (IPI from Tanzania; National Housing Authority/Presidential Housing Initiative from Zambia; and National Housing & Construction Corporation from Uganda; and BMTPC and HUDCO from Indian side) have been identified to coordinate activities of cooperation programme.

Sale of Indian Machines & Equipment

There are a large number of enterprises from within Tanzania who registered their interest and made concrete proposals in writing after detailed discussions with BMTPC officials, to buy most of our machines. The serious entrepreneurs have visited the exhibition and saw the production demonstration several times in order to satisfy themselves by the performance of the machines. Looking to their interest the proposal to sell these machines to the interested entrepreneurs was also discussed with the High Commissioner who agreed that transfer of machines to the private sector may help in creating a wider awareness about the Indian technologies as the setting up of the permanent demonstration centre under IPI may take sometime.

Live demonstration of machines

Live demonstration of machines at exhibition received an overwhelming response from builders and SME’s in Tanzania and nearly 75% of the Indian machines displayed at the exhibition were sold to the local SME’s. BMTPC recovered its costs, freight and the profit margin in this transaction. Further orders for many more machines and transfer of know-how on manufacturing technologies for composite materials were placed by several private entrepreneurs and public housing agencies from Tanzania, Zambia and Uganda. 

It is hoped that this large scale response, wide coverage in the print & electronic media and the presence of our technologies with local SME’s will spearhead the movement for more and more SME’s to go in for these technologies.

Nearly 250 participants attended the seminar from seven African countries. The inaugural session was addressed by the Hon’ble Vice President of Tanzania, Hon’ble Minister of State for Urban Development & Poverty Alleviation, Government of India, Chairman - Confederation of Tanzania Industries, Chairman - National Environment Management Council of Tanzania, High Commissioner of India, Deputy Director General UNIDO, Executive Director - BMTPC. The inaugural session was followed by two Technical Sessions, chaired by Chairman and Managing Director - HUDCO with Joint Secretary, Rural Housing, Government of India, Deputy Director General COMESA, Chairman, Presidential Housing Initiative Zambia as the co-chairman. Sixteen presentations were made on various aspects related to housing and human settlements during the Technical Sessions. The Technical Sessions were followed by a Business Forum which was coordinated by Project Director, ICAMT and UNIDO Consultant to CTI. A number of local entrepreneurs during the Business Forum raise the issue of joint partnership, establishing new production units, transfer of manufacturing technologies particularly in the area of composite building materials based on agro-industrial wastes and by-products. Later in the evening the participants of the seminar paid to a visit to the exhibition.

After the prolonged discussions during the Technical Sessions and Business Forum following recommendations were made:

• Appropriate choices of methodologies, technologies and affordable building materials for sustainable shelter programmes need to be evolved by the respective countries in the African region.
• Tanzania and the neighbouring countries urgently need to acquire, absorb and disseminate low cost technologies for producing alternative building materials based on utilisation of agriculture and industrial wastes amongst other locally available raw material resources. Significant advances made in this technology by India should be of interest to stakeholders of construction industry in their effort to lower the costs of building materials.
• It is hoped the deliberations of the seminar will pave the way for the acquisition, dissemination and subsequent absorption in terms of low cost building materials developed in India. The level of participation in the seminar reflects the growing awareness amongst the participating countries and the significance they attach to exchange of knowledge, sharing of technologies and promotion of partnerships and investment between India and the countries in the African region.
• Urgent steps are required to be taking to promote SME Production Units and Building Centres on the lines of National Network of Building Centres in India in member countries of COMESA to produce, train and transfer technologies and encourage SMEs to promote cross-border marketing of low cost building materials.
• UNIDO within the framework of South-South cooperation need to organise (a) demand survey for building materials by type and quantities in selected countries, (b) determine local human and technical capacity in production of building materials, (c) establish gaps, strengths and weaknesses in training opportunities available for manufacturers and technicians of building materials, and (d) strengthen mechanisms to popularise and propagate new technologies.
• The private sector and manufacturers of building materials should undertake dissemination and demonstration of technologies, equipment and machines both in rural & urban areas to improve availability and access of people to cost effective materials for house construction. The experience and technical know-how brought by Government of India in the India-UNIDO Exhibition at Saba Saba Grounds need to be examined by producers of building materials in this context and make efforts for sharing of Indian experience and technical know-how.
• Existing building codes are generally restrictive and diversifying and impede the pace of development of housing activities. These need to be modified so as to encourage the use of new housing concepts and design, new materials and faster pace of construction. There is a strong need to formulate and synthesise the latest developments in building science and technology in the respective National Building Codes so that innovations can be adopted by all concerned.