Minister: FG addressing housing deficit — over 150 communities benefitting from slums upgrade initiative

Ahmed Dangiwa, minister of housing and urban development, says the federal government is addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit through a structured urban renewal and slum-upgrade intervention. 

Dangiwa spoke on Friday at the Africa housing awards and industry end-of-year dinner organised by the Africa International Housing Show (AIHS).

The event was attended by government officials, developers, financiers, and industry stakeholders from across the continent, who reviewed progress and challenges in the sector.

The minister said housing could no longer be treated as a peripheral issue in Africa, noting that it sits at the intersection of economic growth, social stability, urban resilience and human dignity.

“Across Africa today, about 54 million people live in urban slums, and the continent faces a housing shortfall of at least 50 million units, with a financing gap estimated at over $1.4 trillion,” he said.

Dangiwa warned that Africa’s housing deficit could reach about 130 million units by 2030 if solutions are not accelerated, stressing that platforms such as the Africa International Housing Show are critical for advocacy, accountability, and sustained policy attention.

Commending the organisers, he said the awards and end-of-year dinner were not isolated ceremonies but the culmination of a year-long engagement designed to encourage excellence and challenge governments and industry players to deliver measurable outcomes.

Speaking on Nigeria’s efforts, Dangiwa said President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda had repositioned housing from isolated projects to a structured national programme focused on scale and systems.

“Nigeria’s housing deficit is conservatively estimated at over 17 million units, but we are responding with scale. In the last two years, we have commenced over 10,000 housing units across 14 states and the FCT. Through our urban renewal and slum upgrade efforts, we have already impacted more than 150 communities with critical infrastructure,” he said.

He added that no country could solve its housing challenges alone, calling for a continental approach anchored on land governance reform, bankable housing finance, strong local building materials value chains, climate-smart construction and disciplined urban planning.

“The African housing agenda must be treated as a continental productivity agenda,” the minister said, pledging Nigeria’s commitment to partnerships, reforms and cross-border cooperation.

On his part, Sankwasa Sankwasa, Namibia’s minister of urban and rural development, said his country was grappling with inherited housing challenges, particularly the prevalence of informal settlements.

Sankwasa said about 88 percent of Namibia’s urban residents live in informal settlements, making it impossible for the government alone to address the housing shortage.

He said Namibia had embarked on aggressive upgrades to sanitation, water, and road infrastructure, while also introducing policies that allow civil servants to access their pension contributions to build homes.

“Africa’s problems should be solved with African solutions,” Sankwasa said.

Festus Adebayo, chief executive officer and convener of AIHS, said the housing and construction sector remained a major driver of growth, job creation and national development across Africa.

Adebayo said the awards were established to recognise innovation, leadership and integrity in the sector, while also promoting professionalism and a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and unethical practices.

“Our sector is involved in new technologies, safety regulations, global economic pressures, and environmental challenges. Continue to influence the way we work. It is important that we clearly recognise these changes, monitor industry trends, and position ourselves to respond swiftly and strategically,” he said.

Grace Ike, chairperson of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT chapter, also used the occasion to appeal to the federal government to fulfil its promise of a journalists’ village in Abuja, saying access to decent housing would strengthen ethical reporting and nation-building.