The Federal Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa has declared that over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s population are living in urban centres, and expected to increase to 60 per cent by 2030.
Arc. Dangiwa revealed this statistics on Tuesday while soliciting for stakeholders in the housing sector to leverage the Ministry’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to mobilise financing for affordable housing and urban development in the country.
The minister, who was represented by the Minister of State, Housing Development, Abdullahi Tijani Gwarzo, made this disclosure during the commemoration of 2023 World Habitat Day and World Cities Day held in Abuja, themed, ,”Financing Sustainable Urban Future for All”
What the minister said:
- “Urbanization has become one of the most transformative forces shaping our world in the 21st It is a phenomenon that can be harnessed to enhance economic productivity, inclusive growth, environmental sustainability.
- “Urban dwellers now account for more than 50 percent of Nigeria’s population and are expected to increase to 60 percent by the year 2030.
Effective urban planning to absorb population surge
The minister noted that as the population for urban dwellers in the country continue to rise, effective urban planning and management is what is required to absorb the expected population surge.
- “It is our duty to make adequate preparations for the expected upsurge of population in our towns and cities through effective urban planning and management and building the needed resilience and innovations to absorb the expected shocks,” he said.
Furthermore, the minister revealed that the Federal Government was paying attention to the issues and challenges of urbanization experienced across the country.
To curb the issue of rapid urbanization in the country, the minister noted that the Federal Government has called for for accelerated action to achieve sustainable human settlement development as well as introduce measures to mitigate the impact of the rapid urbanization in Nigeria.
Housing construction for economic meltdown recovery
In his remarks, the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, asserted that diversification into housing construction was a surefire way the country can recover from the current global economic meltdown.
- “The government has to make a concerted effort at urban development through the building of new cities and the regeneration of old ones. Through this, not only would we provide houses to our people, we would also deliver a more liveable and secure environment to them,” Ashafe said.
Speaking further, the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority stressed that the value chain of the housing industry remained the surest bet for creating jobs, both directly and indirectly, employing both professionals and non-professionals.
