Building the Engine: Industry and the African Urban Agenda
About the event
The next generation of Sub-Saharan Africa’s green and inclusive cities is just around the corner, but only if designers embrace the opportunity. Can small-scale entrepreneurship drive new sustainable housing, or will the overburdened sector fail to meet the challenge of climate change?
In our second Dean’s Lecture of the year, African housing and sustainability expert, Fatou Kiné Dieye, will unpack the future of the green construction sector. The region’s immense demand for materials and buildings mirrors Australia’s own challenges with urban design and equitable housing. Fatou will show how small-scale initiatives by local communities and small builders can offer more resilient and inclusive solutions than those of traditional large-scale developers.
Focusing on practical innovations in materials and construction technologies, this public lecture will showcase design solutions that are derisking investment in sustainable construction across Sub-Saharan Africa.
About the speaker
Fatou Kiné Dieye is a consultant specialised in the design of buildings, policy frameworks and the corresponding supply chain mechanics necessary for building Sub-Saharan Africa’s next generation of green and inclusive cities.
She was previously the Managing Director of Skat Consulting’s offices in Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo, responsible for the implementation of the Swiss Cooperation’s construction industry transformation program for Africa’s Great Lakes Region. Prior to joining Skat, Fatou was team leader for the Affordable Housing and Neighborhood Development Unit for the City of Kigali and an urban designer for the New York City Department of City Planning.
Fatou holds degrees in architecture, urban planning, and sustainability management from Princeton and Columbia Universities and a certificate in International Housing Finance Systems from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.