WUF13 serves as important platform for co-op in urban planning and housing – Gabonese minister

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 17. The WUF13 forum being
held in Baku serves as a critical global platform for strategic
cooperation in the fields of urban planning and housing, Mays
Mouissi, Minister of Housing, Urban Planning, and Land Registry of
the Gabonese Republic, said during a ministerial roundtable held
within the framework of WUF13 in Baku, Trend reports.

The minister noted that participating in the 13th session of the
World Urban Forum is of paramount importance for Gabon, and
expressed his sincere gratitude to Azerbaijan for its exceptional
hosting.

He emphasized that the international community is currently
grappling with a severe housing deficit: “The theme—’Housing the
World: Safe and Sustainable Cities and Communities’—is a direct
call for global mobilization in the face of escalating climate and
social challenges.”

According to him, over 3 billion people worldwide live in
substandard conditions, while more than 300 million face
homelessness. Furthermore, approximately 600 million people across
Africa still lack access to electricity.

The minister added that Gabon is not immune to these systemic
pressures: “The urbanization rate in our country exceeds 80
percent, and we are currently facing a deficit of approximately
300,000 housing units. This situation is continuously exacerbated
by rapid population growth in urban centers,” he stressed.

He stated that climate change-induced risks, including flooding,
coastal erosion, and landslides, are severely impacting vulnerable
settlements across Gabon.

Mays Mouissi highlighted that under the leadership of President
Brice Oligui Nguema, deep structural housing and land reforms are
being actively executed.

“The ultimate objective of these reforms is to secure citizens’
access to decent housing and legally backed land ownership,” he
noted.

The minister added that within this framework, the Gabon Housing
Fund has been established, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have
been expanded, and the construction of thousands of housing units
is underway. Additionally, thousands of land plots have been
serviced and made available for development.

He further reported that in cooperation with the World Bank,
urban master plans have been developed for several key regions, and
overall planning documentation is being consistently
modernized.

Concluding his address, the minister underscored that following
the principle of “what cannot be measured cannot be managed,” Gabon
has successfully launched a new statistical data collection system
dedicated to urban development metrics.