FG Unveils State-by-State Homeownership and Housing Development Campaign

 

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa on Tuesday reiterated President Bola Tinubu administration’s resolve towards fixing the structural and macroeconomic foundations that will make housing affordable and sustainable today and in the long run.

 

Dangiwa who gave the assurance in Abuja while presenting keynote address during the opening of the 19th Africa International Housing Show (AIHS), observed that the present administration is taking bold steps to stabilise the economy, strengthen the Naira, raise real incomes, and reduce inflation. These efforts are already beginning to show results—and they are laying the groundwork for a housing market where Nigerians can truly own or rent homes that reflect their income levels and living realities.”

 

The Minister also rolled out plans for the launch of State-by-State Homeownership and Housing Development Campaigna

 

“I must say that this conviction is at the heart of the Renewed Hope Housing Programme. The programme reflects a clear strategy for reimagining housing delivery across three tiers. First is Renewed Hope Cities which are large-scale urban developments with integrated infrastructure for construction in Nigerian cities — Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Maiduguri, Kaduna and Nasarawa Second are the Renewed Hope Estates which are medium-density residential clusters located in each of the 30 States. The third component is the Renewed Hope Social Housing Estates which aim to provide deeply affordable homes for low-income Nigerians, supported by targeted government subsidies to ensure affordability to be situated in each of the LGAs.

 

“To deepen the mortgage market and increase homeownership, the government has also set up the MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund (MREIF). This will mobilise blended finance—drawing in public and private capital to provide more longer term mortgage loans at twelve percent interest per annum to Nigerians.

 

“Recognising the reality that not everyone is ready to buy a home, we have also introduced two groundbreaking interventions at Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN). The Rent-to-Own Scheme which allows eligible Nigerians to move into homes while paying monthly toward ownership. The Rental Assistance Product which helps Nigerians pay their annual rent in advance, with flexible monthly repayment terms. These are practical tools to ease housing pressure, particularly for urban workers and young families.

 

“Our commitment also extends to the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme, which prioritizes infrastructure improvement, housing rehabilitation, and service delivery in underserved communities. These efforts align with the UN-Habitat Global Action Plan for Slum Transformation and the Addis Declaration adopted at the 2024 Africa Urban Forum, which commits African governments to leave no one-and no place—behind.

 

“However, we know that real progress must happen beyond the federal level. The biggest gaps in housing delivery are at the subnational level—where many State Governments lack technical capacity, planning systems, and financial tools to act decisively.”

 

In the bid to address the challenges, he unveiled Federal Government’s plan to “launch a State-by-State Homeownership and Housing Development Campaign – a high-impact outreach initiative in collaboration with state governments, the private sector, and development partners. The goal is to bridge the gap between national housing policy and state-level execution while empowering citizens with the knowledge and tools to access affordable housing opportunities.

 

“As part of this initiative, we aim to embed Housing Reform Champions as Special Advisers to State Governors, convene State Housing Roundtables to review existing housing development plans and provide technical advisory, develop actionable roadmaps, and offer hands-on support to structure viable projects and unlock financing.

 

“The campaign will also ensure alignment with federal programmes, thereby enabling states to access funding and technical support from institutions such as the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), Family Homes Funds, the Mass Rent-to-Own and Equity Investment Facility (MREIF), Shelter Afrique Development Bank, and others.

 

The Minister also underscored the government’s renewed political will to housing delivery we have also finalized plans to establish an Experts-led National Housing Policy Coordination and Monitoring Committee to evaluate, and report on the implementation of the National Housing Policy and related housing sector programmes.

 

While commending the Convener of AIHS Team led by Mr. Festus Adebayo for their consistency and impact in shaping housing discourse and partnerships across Africa for nearly two decades.

 

On his part, former Federal Minister of Information Professor Jerry Gana on Tuesday called for urgent measures to tackle Nigeria’s worsening housing crisis, advocating for local production of building materials and decentralisation of infrastructure management.

 

Professor Gana who acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration for its housing renewal agenda aimed at expanding affordable housing, applauded the recapitalisation of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) from ₦2.5 billion to ₦500 billion, describing it as “a vital step designed to expand the Bank’s capacity for affordable housing delivery.”

 

Expressing grave concern over the deepening housing affordability crisis, Professor Gana said: “despite these commendable efforts, I must raise a serious alarm. We are facing an escalating crisis of high prices for houses and prohibitive interest rates, which are making housing increasingly unaffordable for the average Nigerian worker.

 

“This represents a significant barrier to home ownership, and remains a major contributor to our nations staggering housing deficit, currently estimated to be between 17 and 22 million units. Thus, more than 90% of Nigerians cannot afford to purchase a home.

 

“The root causes are obvious. Inflation, currently at 23.71 percent as of April 2025 drives up construction costs, while the Central Bank of Nigeria’s high interest rate of 27.5% means that typical mortgage rates often exceed 20 percent, making housing finance largely inaccessible. The compound devaluation of the naira only exacerbates these issues, greatly raising the cost of imported building materials.

 

In the bid to address the challenges, Professor Gana stressed the urgent need to reduce reliance on imported building materials, which constitute 50–70% of housing costs, and called for the establishment of building material manufacturing hubs in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

 

Professor Gana who doubles as Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, said: “It is time to think outside the box and begin to address how we can reduce our dependency on importation of building materials.

 

“We must come together and produce ‘Made in Nigeria’ houses. Indeed promoting the widespread adoption of local content in housing delivery is a strategic imperative for sustainable national development,” he stated.

Beyond the economic implications, the former Minister who linked housing insecurity to national security, argued that inadequate housing not only perpetuates socioeconomic inequality but also directly activates civil unrest, and influences migration patterns. A significant housing deficit ultimately lads to high unemployment rates, rising crime rates, and increased poverty. Providing decent housing is a critical solution to insecurity.

 

Professor Gana further advocated decentralisation of infrastructure management, urging that States and Local Governments be empowered to provide housing solutions.

 

“May I advocate for decentralization of infrastructure management by empowering Federation units to provide basic needs like housing. Top-down solutions are not suitable for a challenge of this massive scale. We must do our very best to ensure every citizen has access to decent, affordable, and suitable shelter, homes that serve as foundations for dignity, security, and prosperity,” he said.

 

In his remarks, Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, represented by Professor Suleiman Bogoro underscored the need to “prioritize affordable housing, sustainable urban planning, and inclusive development.

 

“We must work collaboratively to ensure that our housing policies are not only effective but also equitable and beneficial to all segments of society. The future of Africa’s housing sector depends on our collective ability to innovate, invest, and implement solutions that meet the needs of our growing populations.”

 

Also speaking, National Programme Officer for United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Paul Okunlola observed that Africa continent is in desperate need of effective and enduring housing solutions that can adequately curtain the widening gap between the rapidly rising populations in need of decent but affordable housing, and, enhance the capacities of existing housing delivery systems to meet their needs.

 

He said: “Indeed, the numbers speak for themselves. Today, there are an estimated 2.8 billion globally (about one-third of the World’s population), who do not have access to safe, affordable, and adequate housing, thereby limiting their enjoyment of basic rights, including the right to work, health social security education and many others.

 

“Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen unfortunately many of the factors driving this housing delivery gap are well known in Nigeria, including among others conflict and climate-induced displacement, the commodification of housing fragmented policies and uneven/inconsistent approach to implementation of strategies in Nigeria, for instance, the dearth of critical data, such as the precise scale of the nations housing deficit and absence of evidence-based needs and affordability data remains major limitation to sustainable public housing programmes and viable private initiatives. ‘As it has been said, ‘if you can’t measure it, you cannot fix!”

 

To this end, he underscored the need to “rethink urban policies, land use, legislation and financing to prioritize housing and basic services as key drivers of climate action and sustainable development.”