The Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing, Engineer Abubakar Aliyu, had called on Shelter-Afrique to employ more Nigerians to serve at the institution in view of Nigeria’s contribution to the organization.
The Minister made the request during a courtesy visit to the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Shelter-Afrique, Andrew Chimphondah and his team.
Aliyu noted that the number of Nigerian personnel currently in the staff list of Shelter-Afrique was very minute considering Nigeria’s immense contribution to the financial activities of the institute.
He pointed out that the provision of 21 billion US Dollar by the Institution to deliver affordable houses in Nigeria was a commendable gesture to reducing the current housing deficit in Nigeria.
The Minister, however, urged Shelter-Afrique to increase loans to interested mortgage Institutions in Nigerian in order to meet the need forthe provision of more houses to Nigeria’s teeming population.
He assured that Nigeria would meet up with its outstanding financial obligations to Shelter-Afrique in order to deliver innovative and sustainable housing delivery system in Africa.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Shelter-Afrique, Andrew Chimphondah explained that Shelter-Afrique was a pan African finance institution exclusively supporting the development of housing and real estate in Africa.
He added that Nigeria was considered as a country endowed with large population where the project finance, institutional lending, equity finance and social housing thrive successfully, adding that, that informed the need to make the institution active in the Nigerian market.
Chimphondah stressed that the institution was focusing on the introduction of a new strategic plan primarily based on Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the delivery of affordable houses to member countries.
The Managing Director also raised the issue on the payment of Nigeria’s outstanding financial obligation to Shelter- Afrique to facilitate its operations.
Stephen Kilebi
DD (Press)
