Dipo Olowookere
By Dipo Olowookere
The new Managing Director of Shelter Afrique, Mr Thierno-Habib Hann, has promised to grow the company’s portfolio with quality assets, boost its capital base and generate impact for stakeholders.
Mr Hann made this pledge as he resumed his new office following his appointment last year.
The management of Shelter Afrique changed in 2022, with Mr Kingsley Muwowo piloting the affairs of the organisation in an acting capacity.
The new MD joined the Nairobi-based Pan-African housing development financier from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he served as the Asia/Pacific Lead for housing finance, based in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mr Hann has extensive international experience in housing finance, capital markets/investment banking and structured finance spanning over 20 years. He brings a wealth of leadership experience in development and investment, sharp insight into the real estate landscape and a strong track record of delivery.
Mr Hann is expected to strengthen governance, be an embodiment of the organisation’s values and drive the investment strategy of the company focused on delivering large-scale affordable housing.
“I’m happy and honoured to take on the new role at Shelter Afrique; I would like to extend my appreciation to the shareholders and the board of directors for their confidence in me.
“I would like to thank the staff, partners and stakeholders for their warm welcome and their commitment to the mandate of Shelter-Afrique.
“I am also grateful to my former colleagues at the IFC and World Bank. The institution and title may have changed, but I believe we all share a joint commitment and goal of developing our world, and I look forward to collaborating with them.
“I would especially like to thank Mr Kingsley Muwowo for the role he has played in the transition and for his personal and professional support; his service to the company as CFO and eventually as Acting CEO has been invaluable to the company,” the new man in charge said.
Speaking on his plans for the firm, the native of Guinea (Conakry) and co-founder of AngelAfrica, a Pan-African thinktank, said, “My immediate focus will be to optimise the organisation’s performance and ensure we deliver on our mandate.
“To do this, in the immediate term, management is committed to strengthening the brand and corporate governance, ensuring financial sustainability with a strong execution capability, strengthening risk management framework as well as deepening capacity within the organisation and advocating for innovative solutions in the delivery of affordable housing.”
“I also plan to embark on broad stakeholder engagement to understand other ways to address our mandate; we welcome the views of our shareholders and partners as the task of delivering affordable housing is a shared one, and no single organisation can address the growing housing crisis alone,” he added.
Mr Hann, who described housing as critical to the development of any nation, said he wants to bridge the deficit in Africa, noting that, “It is an honour to lead this team, and together, we will work towards harnessing national resources to improve local populations’ living conditions and to achieve Shelter Afrique’s mandate,”
Mr Hann began his career at the consulting firm Arthur Andersen, LLC as a Senior Consultant in Financial Services and Capital Markets in New York City. He has worked at JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs as Manager and Vice President, respectively and led investment teams issuing mortgage-backed securities (RMBS/CMO) and credit derivatives (CDS) in these organisations.
