……..Partnership will support the Renewed Hope Agenda with funds for 5000 housing units -Dangiwa.
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has signed a letter of intent for collaboration with Shelter Afrique Development Bank (ShafDB) for development of housing in Nigeria.
Housing Minister, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa signed the agreement on behalf of the federal government, while Mr Thierno Habib-Hann, the Managing Director ShafDB signed on behalf of the bank.
The signing of the intent was the focus of the ministerial press briefing marking the one year anniversary in office of the Minister and Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development, at NAF Conference Center, Abuja.
Minister Dangiwa disclosed that Nigeria’s population of over 225 million with a growth rate of 2.5 percent per annum requires about 550,000 housing units over the next 10 years to meet the housing deficit and in order to meet up with this, N5.5 trillion per annum will be required.
“Government can not provide all the funds needed to meet up with the housing demands, Hence, the need to sign a Housing Development Partnership with the Shelter Afrique Development. Under this partnership, the Pan-African housing institution will support the Renewed Hope Agenda with funds that will cater for about five thousand housing units”, he stated.
In his remarks, the MD Shelter Afrique Development Bank, Habib-Hann said that “the MoU represents a landmark and historic milestone in Shelter Afrique Development Bank’s partnership with Nigeria for advisory services and financing of developers towards the construction of 5,000 affordable units to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Ministry for housing and urban development”.
Highlights of the Press briefing was the presentation of notable accomplishments of the ministry of housing and urban development under the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and also showcasing the ministry’s commitment in transforming the Nigeria housing sector.
Some of the notable accomplishments include: expansion and implementation of the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme to improve livability in urban areas and slums, increasing the stock of decent and affordable housing units in the country to meet rising demand, and establishing a National Housing Data Center, amongst others.
On the achievements, Dangiwa said ” We have made substantial progress in increasing the stock of affordable and decent housing stock for Nigerians with the groundbreaking for 6,612 housing units across 13 locations nationwide under the Ministry’s Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme”.
He explained that, construction is ongoing at all these project sites with three months completion period, adding that, the houses were evenly distributed with two states in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country, and also cutting across all party lines as the only criteria being States that provided free and unencumbered land first.
The occasion of the Ministerial press briefing was graced with the presence of relevant housing sector committees of the National Assembly, namely; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Urban and Regional Development, Hon.Abiante Awaji-Inimbek Dagomie and his counterpart of the Committee on Housing and Habitat, Hon. Abdulmumin Jubril.
Others who graced the occasion were the Managing Director Shelter Afrique Development Bank, Mr. Thierno Habib Hann, MD Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Shehu Usman Osidi, MD Federal Housing Authority, Hon Oyetunji Ojo and various representatives of professional and regulatory bodies in the housing industry.
Salisu Badamasi Haiba
Director Information and Public Relations
