FG Pushes Local Building Materials To Cut Housing Costs

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has disclosed that the Federal Government would prioritise the large-scale use of locally sourced building materials and construction technologies to reduce housing costs.

The minister, who spoke at the ongoing 14th meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Ilorin, Kwara State, said public-private partnerships would serve as the main engine for mass housing and urban infrastructure delivery across the country.

The 14th National Council is themed: “Achieving Housing Delivery and Sustainable Cities Through Effective Land Management, Urban Renewal, Promotion of Local Building Materials, and Public-Private Partnership in Nigeria.”

The minister, however, stated that the Federal Government had intensified efforts to address Nigeria’s growing housing deficit through a new national housing strategy focused on land reforms, urban renewal, and public-private partnerships.

This, he said, placed effective land administration at the centre of housing delivery nationwide, adding that the policy adopted urban renewal as a key tool for rebuilding Nigerian cities.

Represented by the ministry’s Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Alhaji Mukhtar Ilyasu, Dangiwa said, ‘’Nigeria’s housing deficit, estimated in the tens of millions, remains one of the country’s most pressing social and economic challenges, driven by rapid urbanisation, population growth and rising construction costs.

“The new framework is expected to guide housing delivery, land administration, and urban development planning across the Federation in the coming years.

“Urban renewal and regeneration have been adopted as national policy tools to modernise cities, curb uncontrolled urban expansion, and respond to population pressure and climate challenges”.

The Kwara Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Dr Segun Ogunshola, said challenges affecting housing provision persisted, but the state government was implementing measures to address land and housing shortages.

He said the 20,000-unit Kwara Smart City Project was already laying the foundation for a next-generation mega city, adding that the project’s master plan had been reviewed to improve livability.

The commissioner added that municipal areas across the state had been upgraded with improved water supply, road networks, and other infrastructure to enhance urban development and beautification.