The United Nations Habitat (UN-Habitat) has announced that it is in talks with the European Union to secure a €10 million grant for urban renewal projects in Northern Nigeria, aimed at addressing infrastructure, housing, and service gaps.
The initiative is part of UN-Habitat’s broader effort to support sustainable urbanization in the region.
The UN-Habitat’s Executive Director Ms. Anaclaudia Rossbach shared the update at the 2024 UN-Habitat Executive Board Meeting in Nairobi, as disclosed in a statement on the official website of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on Friday.
She also highlighted ongoing collaborations with the World Bank and Ekiti State to enhance urban planning and attract investment.
“She announced that UN-Habitat is negotiating a €10 million grant with the European Union for urban integration projects in Northern Nigeria, alongside other partnerships with the World Bank and Ekiti State for urban planning and investment,” the statement read in part.
Additionally, Ms. Rossbach announced that UN-Habitat is planning a high-level visit to Nigeria in 2025 to coincide with the launch of a major urban intervention programme, aiming to strengthen collaboration with local stakeholders and oversee the implementation of transformative urban development projects.
More insight
The statement also highlighted the Federal Government’s efforts to address Nigeria’s severe housing deficit.
Arc. Musa Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, speaking at the 2nd Session of the 2024 UN-Habitat Executive Board Meeting in Nairobi, revealed that over 75% of the country’s 42 million housing units are substandard, with nearly half of the population residing in informal settlements.
- To tackle these challenges, Dangiwa outlined the Federal Government’s National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade Programme (NURSUP), which has already completed projects at 54 sites across the country, with 56 more projects currently in progress.
- These initiatives focus on improving critical infrastructure, including water supply, solar-powered streetlights, access roads, drainage systems, and waste management solutions.
- The Minister emphasized the importance of strong partnerships with international organizations like UN-Habitat to scale up these efforts and ensure sustainable urban development.
To support these partnerships, President Bola Tinubu recently approved a $500,000 contribution to settle Nigeria’s outstanding obligations to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) for the 2022–2023 period.
This payment forms part of Nigeria’s financial commitment under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UN-Habitat and will help fund the operations of the UN-Habitat Country Office in Nigeria.
