Nigeria Needs 550,000 Housing Units Annualy To Curb Housing Deficit - Dangiwa    *  Ministry ready for partnership with UK Build and Construction Trade Mission   Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has expressed optimism that the huge housing deficit facing the country can be brought to a halt if a total of 550,000 housing units are built annually at the cost of N5.5Trillion, over the next ten years.   Dangiwa made this expression in a meeting with delegates of the UK Build and Construction West Africa Trade Mission, at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Abuja.   While noting that Nigeria has a 200 million population with an annual growth rate of 2.5 percent per annum, the Minister said that the current state of housing in the country was far from where it ought to be, giving the dual challenge of inadequate housing supply to meet population growth and sub-standard housing which does not meet the conditions of Habitability, Safety & Security, Comfort, Sanitation, Accessibility, Infrastructure, Social Amenities, and Socio-Cultural adequacy as set out by the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO).   He informed the team of delegates that the Ministry was combining urban renewal and building of new houses as part of strategies to address the problem of substandard houses, as the findings by a recent survey by PwC housing industry shows that 75% (i.e. 31.6 million) of the 42million housing units in Nigeria were sub-standard.   The Minister enumerated the action plans the Ministry has taken since his administration in rewriting the housing and urban landscape to include; the inauguration of Four Housing Reform Task Teams namely: Housing Institutions Reform Task Team, the Multi-Agency Project Delivery Task Team, the Land Reforms Task Team and the Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs Task Team, “All the housing sector reform task teams are in the process of finalizing their reports”, he stated    Arc. Dangiwa reviewed the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in February with the groundbreaking of a 3,112-housing unit in Karsana, Abuja.   He explained that phase one of the program aims at 50,000 housing units across Nigeria with the Cities having 1,000 housing units per site in one location in each of the six geo-political zones in the country and FCT, while the Estates, 250 housing units per site in the remaining thirty (30) States.   “So far, we have done groundbreaking for two Renewed Hope Cities under PPP (FCT and Kano), and Renewed Hope Estates in twelve States (Ebonyi, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Osun, Benue, Nasarawa, Oyo, Katsina, Yobe, Gombe and Sokoto), making a total of 6,612 homes”, he further explained.   He said the funding for the projects was from a mix of the Ministry’s 2023 Supplementary and 2024 budgetary allocation, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), and Public Private Partnerships with reputable developers.   Arc. Dangiwa further stated that the programme aims to address social inequality by providing a broad range of affordable ownership options which includes single digit and up to 30-year mortgage loans to be provided by FMBN, Rent-to-Own options and Outright Purchase for high income earners.   “We have also made cross subsidy a key part of our efforts to enhance affordability for low-medium income earners to foster integrated living. Under this concept, the housing units built in the Renewed Hope Cities will be sold at commercial rate while a substantial percentage will be sold at concessionary rates to low and medium income Nigerians”, he added.   The Minister also underscored the economic impact of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estate project growth giving that the construction and development of the new areas will generate employment opportunities, stimulate local businesses, and attract investments.   Accordingly, he informed the team about the launch of an online portal to ease the process of acquiring homes being built under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme; “The platform has recorded over 28,000 applications since its launch. This is helping us to plan”, he noted.   On the Ministry’s Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme, Dangiwa was delighted to inform about an expansion, “Under Phase 1 of the Programme, the Ministry has projects ongoing in a total of 26 sites nationwide which includes four (4) sites in each of the six regions of the country totaling twenty four, and two in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)”.   He said key services of water supply, solar streetlights, rehabilitation of access roads, construction of drainages and waste management and sanitation services amongst others, were provided at the identified sites.   In addition, the Minister revealed that the Ministry was working to establish a National Social Housing Fund (NSHF) that would ensure that all Nigerians, including the no income, vulnerable, and underprivileged have access to decent and dignified accommodation, with potential sources of funding to include Budget Allocation, Executive Order – Tax Incentivs, Private Sector Donations – Telecomms USSD, Development Finance Institutions, amongst others.   Dangiwa as well told the team of delegates about a partnership with the World Bank towards the implementation of a National Land Registration and Titling Programme which aims to partner with State Governments towards improving land formalisation from the current statistics of less than 10% to 50% in the next ten years.   He requested partnership proposals from the UK Build and Construction Trade Mission for the Ministry’s consideration in the areas of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estate, Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme, as well as the building material hub, in order to work towards delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.   Earlier, the spokesperson of the delegates from the UK Build and Construction West Africa Trade Mission, the deputy Country Director, Morayo Adekunle, sought for partnership in investment opportunities, and providing funding solutions for the housing sector in Nigeria.    The delegates expressed willingness to collaborate and understand areas where the Ministry needs their global experience, through the infrastructure project authority arm of the UK which is the main infrastructure expertise for the UK government, working globally to support governments in capacity buildings, trainings, and preparation of all the projects that needs advisory, on a government to government level.   The team further requested for a working group to be set up at the Ministry for the purpose of engaging and scoping out opportunities, while they provide the needed technical support for the group. ...

Collaborative Efforts For Housing and Urban Development    - FMHUD Nigeria and Ansari Group UAE, explore partnership.   In a significant step towards enhancing global urban development, the Honourable Ministers of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and H.E Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, participated in a multilateral virtual meeting with UN-Habitat and the Ansari Group of the UAE. The central focus of the meeting was the 1000 Cities Programme by UN-Habitat and the exploration of potential collaboration with the Ansari Group.   The Ansari Group was represented by its President, Dr. Sania Ansari, who expressed a strong commitment to sustainable urban development. The meeting was skillfully anchored by Ambassador Murtala Jimoh from the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who facilitated the discussions and ensured productive dialogue.   Dr. Ansari highlighted the Ansari Group's dedication to creating sustainable urban environments and their eagerness to partner with UN-Habitat in advancing the 1000 Cities Programme. This initiative aims to transform urban spaces worldwide, focusing on enhancing infrastructure, promoting sustainability, and improving the overall quality of life.   UN-Habitat representatives provided an in-depth overview of the programme, outlining its objectives and ongoing projects. They emphasized the critical role of private sector partnerships in achieving the programme's ambitious goals and the significant impact it aims to deliver.   The Honourable Ministers reaffirmed the government's support for the programme, recognizing the immense benefits such collaborations could bring to national urban development efforts. They stressed the importance of aligning these initiatives with national development plans and policies to ensure integrated and cohesive urban growth.   The meeting concluded with a commitment from all parties to continue exploring and formalizing the collaboration. Follow-up meetings and detailed discussions were planned to solidify the partnership framework and identify specific projects and initiatives.   This virtual meeting represents a pivotal move towards fostering international collaboration in sustainable urban development. The anticipated partnership between UN-Habitat, the Ansari Group, and the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs promises to drive transformative changes in urban landscapes, contributing significantly to the global effort of building better cities for future generations. ...

Senate Committee on Housing Supports Case for N500 Billion Annual Allocation for Renewed Hope Cities & Estates Programme   …Says Inflation, Huge Deficit Render Current Budget Insignificant   …Allocation for Housing Development Not Free Money but Profitable Investment, Says Minister   The Senate Committee on Lands, Housing, and Urban Development has thrown its support to the push by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa for N500 Billion in annual allocation to support the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme.   Reacting to the Minister’s briefing during an oversight invitation by the committee, the Chairman, Sen. Aminu Tambuwal, assured the Minister of full support to ensure he achieves the mandate of the Ministry, especially in the area of housing development.   Also reacting, the Vice Chairman, Sen. Victor Umeh noted that the case for N500 Billion by the Minister is justified, considering the huge housing deficit in the country, inflationary trends, and troubling foreign exchange. “At the end of the day, even that N500 Billion may not be able to do so much,” he said.   Earlier in his briefing, Arc. Dangiwa noted that budgetary provision for the housing and urban sector has not matched the housing and urban development needs of the nation for many years.   “There is a massive historic mismatch between the housing and urban development needs of our country versus budgetary provision. Rough statistics show that we need an annual increase in housing stock of about 550,000 units over the next ten years to meet the need. This would require about N5.5 trillion per annum.    “We are aware that all these cannot come from the Government and are working on Public Private Partnerships and other sources of housing finance. But the government needs to do more,” he said.   While he noted the transformative efforts of the Ministry in the last one year, he decried the insufficient allocation. “In the 2023 Supplementary budget we got N100bn. In 2024 we received approval for about N80bn. This is a far cry from what is needed to make a difference.   “I am taking the opportunity to make a solemn request for your consideration, Distinguished Senators, for the provision of a minimum of N500bn Budgetary Allocation Per Annum to the Ministry. This is less than 10% of the N5.5Trn annual requirement for tackling Nigeria’s housing challenge. It is important to state that this is not free money but a profitable investment. The houses will be built, sold and the money returned back to government over time. This is besides the jobs that will be created and the boost to the national economy.   “I must emphasize that money spent in housing development is not wasted money. It is an economic, social and security investment in our country. Housing is a catalyst for economic development, job creation and it should be prioritized alongside works, roads and bridges. In fact, over 80% of the money deployed to housing comes back in terms of value to the economy and national development,” he said.   The Minister further noted that housing development is a key catalyst for job creation, lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, and helping to achieve a $1 Trillion economy, which are key priorities of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.   Dangiwa further took out time to brief the lawmakers on the milestones achieved by the Ministry since his appointment in August 2023, including the flag-off for a total of 6,612 housing units across 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory since the launch of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme by President Bola Tinubu in February 2024. Most of the units are slated to be completed by the end of 2024. He noted that, although the plan was to build 500 housing units in each of the 30 states as Renewed Hope Estates, budgetary constraints have forced the Ministry to limit it to 250 units per state in the meantime.   Other key milestones are Slum Upgrade and Urban Renewal programme taking place in 26 locations across the country, as well as the inauguration of Four Reforms Task Teams to entrench synergy between housing institutions, enhance their housing delivery capacities, develop actionable blueprints for implementing land reforms and establishing a National Land Commission, as well as set up modalities for establishing Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs in the six (6) geopolitical zones of the country.   Other members of the committee urged the Minister to rapidly expand the programme to accommodate more states not captured in the first round of Ground-breaking exercises, with the Minister emphasizing that the only criteria for siting the projects is the provision of free, unencumbered land by the state governments.   ...