Ministry of Housing Partners UN Agency on Funding, Technical Support for Nationwide Urban Renewal, Slum Grading Project

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has expressed commitment to deepening partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) towards mobilising multi-lateral funding and technical support for planned nationwide urban renewal and slum upgrading program under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the federal government.

The UN-Habitat program aims to improve living conditions in Nigeria’s urban areas and transform informal settlements into vibrant, integrated neighborhoods with access to essential services, while preventing the proliferation of slums.
According to a statement yesterday, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, stated this during a meeting with a delegation of UN-Habitat, led by the Director, Regional Office for Africa, Oumar Sylla, at the Ministry’s headquarters last Thursday, in Abuja.

The Minister observed that UN-Habitat’s new vision of, “a better quality of life for all in an urbanising world” aligned fully with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, and called on the body to support the bold plans of the ministry to increase access to decent, quality, and affordable housing for all Nigerians, including those that fall within the low and medium-income segments of the country.
“We are counting on UN-Habitat to continue to render its technical support to the ministry as the focal point for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make our towns and cities safe, resilient, and sustainable.

“Additionally, we would like to seek UN-Habitat’s collaboration in advancing the SDGs. Specific areas include helping us to mobilise multilateral funding for our Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrading Programme and the New City Development Project”, he said.

Speaking further, Dangiwa appreciated UN-Habitat for assisting with the review of the National Urban Development Policy (NUDP) and assured of the ministry’s commitment to complete and adopt the document with the technical support of the organisation.

He further called for deepened collaboration between the ministry and UN-Habitat, noting that the meeting should mark a new, bolder, innovative, and more impactful partnership between the two parties; one that will see the ministry explore all the potentials and capacities of UN-Habitat to help achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I am impressed with your strategic plan for the period 2020-2023. In it, I see several points of intersection with the Renewed Hope Agenda of our government. This includes reduced spatial inequality and poverty in communities across the urban-rural continuum; enhanced shared prosperity of cities and regions; strengthened climate action and improved urban environment; as well as effective urban crisis prevention and response”, Dangiwa added.

Also discussed at the meeting was Nigeria’s $250,000 annual funding support to the UN-Habitat Support Office (UN-HAPSO) in Nigeria. The Minister assured the delegation of Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its obligations and has already set in motion the process to pay its statutory contribution to UN-Habitat, which was delayed due to the transition to a new administration in the country.

He further stated that continued funding support to UN-Habitat’s office in Nigeria would reposition the office to adequately play its role in providing technical support services to housing and urban development stakeholders in the country.

The visit of UN-Habitat’s delegation comes as the ministry continues to unveil plans to make affordable homeownership accessible to more Nigerians, while also building sustainable cities and upgrading slums in the country.

The intention of the ministry is to leverage the partnership with UN-Habitat to foster speedy and sustainable implementation of its plans for housing and urban development.

Dangiwa, therefore, called for series of future engagements with UN Habitat so that the activities and programmes mapped out in any future work plan will align with the priorities of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as mandated to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
Responding, Oumar Sylla, the leader of the delegation, assured the Honourable Minister that the 2023-2027 work plan of the UN-Habitat for the country will definitely be aligned with the priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration.

Meanwhile, Dangiwa, has said the federal government was set to reform the federal housing agencies to enable them function optimally and efficiently to deliver decent, quality and affordable housing to Nigerians.

“While the FMBN focuses on affordable housing using single digit interest rates and long tenors of up to 30-years to contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has the flexibility to develop houses for both the low- and high-income earners.
“These two institutions should be able to meet and deliver on the goals of your agency to deliver affordable housing to all cadres of the hardworking Immigration Officers,” he added.

The minister revealed that his ministry was working with the National Population Commission (NPC) to establish the actual housing deficit, explaining that an in-house estimate show that 550, 000 new homes needed to be built per annum over the next 10 years to meet the housing needs of Nigerians, describing it a massive size of housing challenge

Dangiwa further revealed that the federal government planned to build Renewed Hope Cities nationwide with the first phase delivering 34,500 homes in selected cities and state capitals across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Describing the types and patterns of housing units to be built in the cities, the minister said the houses would comprise one, two and three bedroom affordable bungalows and multi-level flats catering for low to medium income earners while high income earners would be catered for under Public Private Partnership.
He explained that this would be done with reputable developers to build elegant terrace and detached bungalows as well as duplexes, noting the cities would be a symbol of inclusivity where every Nigerian family regardless of their level of income could own a home.

Earlier in her remarks, Adepoju, appealed to the minister to consider the officers of the Nigeria Immigration Services in the commencement of its housing programmes nationwide.

She said the utmost dream of every immigration officer to acquire a decent home to live after retirement had not been achieved due the high price tag put on it by private developers.