The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is deepening its partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to mobilise multi-lateral funding and technical support for a nationwide urban renewal and slum upgrading programme
The programme, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of the government, is aimed at improving living conditions in Nigeria’s urban areas and transform settlements into vibrant, integrated neighbourhoods with access to essential services, while preventing proliferation of slums.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, stated this during a meeting with a delegation of UN-Habitat, led by the Director, Regional Office for Africa, Oumar Sylla, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
He said UN-Habitat’s new vision of “a better quality of life for all in an urbanising world” aligns fully with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu on housing.
He called on the body to support the plans of the ministry to increase access to decent, quality, and affordable housing for all Nigerians, including those that fall within the low and medium-income segments of the country.
“We are counting on UN-Habitat to continue to render its technical support to the ministry as the focal point for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make our towns and cities safe, resilient, and sustainable.
“Additionally, we would like to seek UN-Habitat’s collaboration in advancing the SDGs. Specific areas include helping us to mobilise multilateral funding for our Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrading Programme andthe New City Development Project,” Dangiwa said.
He commended the UN-Habitat for assisting with the review of the National Urban Development Policy (NUDP), assuring that the ministry will complete and adopt the document with the technical support of the organisation.
“I am impressed with your strategic plan for the period 2020-2023. In it, I see several points of intersection with the Renewed Hope Agenda of our government. This includes reduced spatial inequality and poverty in communities across the urban-rural continuum; enhanced shared prosperity of cities and regions; strengthened climate action and improved urban environment; as well as effective urban crisis prevention and response,” Dangiwa said.
He said Nigeria remained committed to its yearly funding support to the UN-Habitat Support Office (UN-HAPSO) in the country, adding that the continued funding support to UN-Habitat’s office in Nigeria will reposition the office to adequately play its role in providing technical support services to housing and urban development stakeholders in the country.
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The UN-Habitat’s delegation’s visit came as the ministry continued to unveil plans to make affordable homeownership accessible to more Nigerians, while also building sustainable cities and upgrading slums in the country. The intention of the ministry is to leverage the partnership with UN-Habitat to foster speedy and sustainable implementation of its plans for housing and urban development.
Dangiwa, therefore, called for series of future engagements with UN Habitat so that the activities and programmes mapped out in any future work plan will align with the priorities of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as mandated to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
Oumar Sylla, the leader of the delegation, assured the Minister that the 2023-2027 work plan of the UN-Habitat for the country will definitely be aligned with the priorities of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration.