Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi
The Federal Government has said it is set to explore alternative building technology in order to reduce housing deficit in the country.
The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, disclosed in a speech delivered at the conference of the African Union for Housing Finance in South Africa, and made available to our correspondent on Sunday.
She said, “In Nigeria, we are conscious of the need to deliver affordable homes both at a reduced cost and on the right scale. We have developed the national housing and urban development policies for the realisation of this strategic national programme.
“We have also realised that the key to delivering on a massive scale to reduce the national housing deficit is the adoption of alternative building technologies, hence our present efforts in facilitating a private sector-led delivery of mass housing process.”
Eyakenyi added that a 30-year road map for the housing and urban development sector aimed at addressing all the challenges presently facing the sector had been developed.
According to her, the sector has been faced with several challenges including inadequate finance for mass housing delivery, low capital base of primary and secondary mortgage banks and inaccessibility to land with secure titles.
Others, she said, were improper balance between the use of conventional method for housing construction and the new building systems; unplanned human settlements and capacity inadequacies.
“The dearth of funds on the demand side has been addressed with the recapitalisation of the primary mortgage banks and the establishment of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company while efforts are being intensified to address the supply side through the provision of a window for construction finance,” she stated.
The minister said the theme of the conference, ‘Alternative Building Technologies for Affordable Housing Construction’ was apt, given the need to ensure greater access to home ownership in countries in Africa through the adoption of new building systems.
“This is especially important in view of the need to address the effects of rapid urbanisation on the continent and the acute shortage in the housing needs of the low-income and medium income segments who constitute the vast majority of the national population of each country in Africa,” she added.
She also said the Federal Government was ready to partner the union to address housing finance and other challenges facing the building and construction industry in virtually all African countries.
Eyakenyi said, “Events around us have underscored the importance of enhanced access to affordable housing in the building of strong, healthy and equitable societies.
“Experts, practitioners, policymakers, investors and the cream of the business community should come up with ingenious strategies and innovative solutions for ensuring housing delivery not only at the right scale and cost but also with the right methods which we can harness in our respective efforts across the continent to effectively reposition the housing and urban development sector as a true engine of growth and sustainable development.”
The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, disclosed in a speech delivered at the conference of the African Union for Housing Finance in South Africa, and made available to our correspondent on Sunday.
She said, “In Nigeria, we are conscious of the need to deliver affordable homes both at a reduced cost and on the right scale. We have developed the national housing and urban development policies for the realisation of this strategic national programme.
“We have also realised that the key to delivering on a massive scale to reduce the national housing deficit is the adoption of alternative building technologies, hence our present efforts in facilitating a private sector-led delivery of mass housing process.”
Eyakenyi added that a 30-year road map for the housing and urban development sector aimed at addressing all the challenges presently facing the sector had been developed.
According to her, the sector has been faced with several challenges including inadequate finance for mass housing delivery, low capital base of primary and secondary mortgage banks and inaccessibility to land with secure titles.
Others, she said, were improper balance between the use of conventional method for housing construction and the new building systems; unplanned human settlements and capacity inadequacies.
“The dearth of funds on the demand side has been addressed with the recapitalisation of the primary mortgage banks and the establishment of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company while efforts are being intensified to address the supply side through the provision of a window for construction finance,” she stated.
The minister said the theme of the conference, ‘Alternative Building Technologies for Affordable Housing Construction’ was apt, given the need to ensure greater access to home ownership in countries in Africa through the adoption of new building systems.
“This is especially important in view of the need to address the effects of rapid urbanisation on the continent and the acute shortage in the housing needs of the low-income and medium income segments who constitute the vast majority of the national population of each country in Africa,” she added.
She also said the Federal Government was ready to partner the union to address housing finance and other challenges facing the building and construction industry in virtually all African countries.
Eyakenyi said, “Events around us have underscored the importance of enhanced access to affordable housing in the building of strong, healthy and equitable societies.
“Experts, practitioners, policymakers, investors and the cream of the business community should come up with ingenious strategies and innovative solutions for ensuring housing delivery not only at the right scale and cost but also with the right methods which we can harness in our respective efforts across the continent to effectively reposition the housing and urban development sector as a true engine of growth and sustainable development.”
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