ABUJA — The Federal Government and the German Agency for International Development (GIZ) have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration to accelerate affordable housing delivery and sustainable urban development in Nigeria.
The commitment was made during a meeting between the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, and a German delegation led by the Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy, Dr. Karin Jansen, at the ministry’s headquarters in Mabushi, Abuja.
Speaking at the meeting, Darma described GIZ as a longstanding and trusted development partner whose technical expertise and global experience would support the Federal Government’s efforts to implement President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing Agenda.
“We need to partner with you to actualise our mandate. We believe that working closely with GIZ will strengthen our capacity to provide affordable housing, promote sustainable urban development and improve the quality of life for Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that despite varying estimates of Nigeria’s housing deficit, millions of Nigerians still lacked access to decent and affordable housing, stressing that the ministry remained committed to addressing the challenge.
Darma disclosed that the Federal Government had set a target of delivering 20,000 housing units annually, adding that about 15,000 units were already at various stages of construction across the country.
He also announced that the ministry was developing a Social Housing Scheme that would extend affordable housing to all 774 local government areas, targeting vulnerable and low-income Nigerians, including teachers, primary healthcare workers, persons with disabilities, young families and Nigerians in the diaspora.
The minister further revealed that the ministry planned to begin the transformation of at least three major urban slums into modern, affordable and livable communities before the end of the year as part of the Federal Government’s urban renewal programme.
“Our vision is to build houses that ordinary Nigerians can afford and proudly call home. Housing is not merely about providing shelter; it is about restoring dignity, promoting social inclusion and stimulating economic growth,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the German delegation, Dr. Jansen described the meeting as timely, coming shortly after the recent Germany-Nigeria Government Negotiations on Development Cooperation, during which both countries agreed to deepen collaboration in key sectors.
She identified sustainable urban development, integrated urban planning, resilient infrastructure, energy-efficient buildings and climate-resilient cities as areas where Germany possesses considerable expertise and could support Nigeria’s development efforts.
“We see strong linkages between our development priorities and the mandate of your Ministry. We believe there is significant potential to expand our cooperation and jointly deliver solutions that will improve the lives of Nigerians,” she said.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, welcomed the delegation and described the engagement as another milestone in the longstanding relationship between Nigeria and Germany.
He said stronger collaboration with GIZ would help address Nigeria’s housing deficit while promoting sustainable, inclusive and climate-smart urban development.
The meeting ended with both parties agreeing to strengthen cooperation through technical assistance, knowledge exchange, institutional capacity building and the development of innovative solutions to support the implementation of the Renewed Hope Housing Programme and improve access to decent and affordable housing across the country.
