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The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding access to affordable housing across Nigeria, targeting the delivery of 100,000 housing units in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory under its Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme.
The government also disclosed plans to strengthen mortgage financing, promote public-private partnerships, reduce construction costs through local building-materials production and regenerate existing urban communities as part of efforts to address the country’s housing challenges.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, disclosed this in a keynote address delivered by his Chief of Staff, Dr. Abba Y. Abdullah, at the 2026 combined commemoration of World Habitat Day and World Cities Day, held at the National Engineering Centre Auditorium, headquarters of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Abuja, on Monday.
The event, organised as part of the global observance of Urban October, brought together government officials, housing professionals, development partners, financial institutions and representatives of international organisations to discuss affordable housing and sustainable urban development.
Darma said this year’s themes, “Adequate Housing for All” and “Regenerating the City: Adequate Housing for All,” underscored the urgent need to improve access to decent accommodation while making existing cities safer, more inclusive and sustainable.
“Housing is more than a physical structure; it is fundamental to human dignity, family stability, health, productivity and economic development,” the minister said.
He stressed that adequate housing must be affordable, safe, accessible and properly located, with secure tenure and access to infrastructure, transportation, employment and essential social services.
According to him, Nigeria’s rapid urbanisation offers significant opportunities for economic growth and innovation but also places increasing pressure on housing supply, land, transportation, sanitation, infrastructure and environmental management.
He said addressing these challenges would require coordinated policies, effective institutions, sustainable financing and stronger partnerships among the federal, state and local governments, alongside private-sector investors and development partners.
Government targets 100,000 housing units
The minister said the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme was designed to deliver 100,000 housing units across the country, offering different housing options through Renewed Hope Cities, Renewed Hope Estates and the proposed Renewed Hope Social Housing initiative.
He identified the Renewed Hope City project in Karsana, Abuja, developments in Lagos and Kano, and housing estates in several states as major components of the programme.
Darma also cited the groundbreaking of the 250-unit Renewed Hope Civil Service Estate at Dukpa, Gwagwalada, in August 2026 as evidence of the government’s commitment to expanding homeownership.
He said the projects were intended to go beyond the construction of individual housing units by creating functional communities supported by infrastructure, employment opportunities and essential services.
However, he acknowledged that increasing housing supply alone would not resolve the crisis if prospective homeowners could not afford the available properties.
“High interest rates, limited long-term funding, stringent eligibility requirements and low mortgage penetration remain major barriers to homeownership,” he said.
To address these challenges, the ministry is strengthening the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company and other financial institutions to improve access to affordable housing finance.
The minister identified National Housing Fund-linked mortgages, rent-to-own arrangements and outright purchase as some of the available pathways to homeownership.
He also called for deeper mortgage refinancing and innovative financing mechanisms that would accommodate civil servants, young professionals, artisans, traders and workers in the informal sector.
FMBN approves over ₦208bn in housing loans
In his address, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of FMBN, Shehu Usman Osidi, disclosed that the bank approved more than ₦208 billion in housing and mortgage loans under its 2025 performance, with over ₦120 billion disbursed to support housing construction, mortgage financing, home renovation, cooperative housing and rent-to-own initiatives.
Osidi said the bank financed 6,911 affordable housing units during the period, representing 96 per cent of its annual target of 7,200 units under the 2025 Presidential and Ministerial Deliverables.
He said the figures demonstrated the bank’s continuing role in expanding access to affordable housing and providing financing options for Nigerians seeking to own or improve their homes.
“As Nigeria’s foremost mortgage institution and the custodian of the National Housing Fund (NHF), the central theme of this event — ‘Adequate Housing for All’ — resonates with our slogan and belief that ‘Everyone Deserves a Home’,” he said.
Osidi added that the bank had facilitated thousands of mortgages since its establishment, while continuously refining its interventions to respond to the changing needs of Nigerians.
He listed the Rent-to-Own Scheme, Home Renovation Loans, NHF Diaspora Mortgage Loan and Non-Interest Mortgage Financing initiatives among the products designed to broaden access to housing.
The FMBN chief executive also announced that the bank had formally launched the Diaspora NHF Mortgage Loan, which is designed to enable Nigerians living abroad to invest in affordable housing at home.
He further said the bank planned to commence implementation of its Non-Interest Mortgage Product before the end of October 2026, alongside a Rent Assistance Product intended to ease rental costs for federal civil servants.
According to him, the rent assistance initiative would serve as a bridge towards eventual homeownership for beneficiaries.
Osidi said the bank would continue collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and other stakeholders to expand housing finance and support the delivery of affordable homes.
Government promotes private-sector investment
The housing minister said the Federal Government recognised that public resources alone could not meet Nigeria’s housing requirements, making private-sector participation essential to delivering homes at scale.
He said the ministry was promoting public-private partnerships to mobilise investment, construction finance, technology and professional expertise.
The Renewed Hope Housing PPP Summit 2.0, held in Abuja in May 2026, provided a platform for exploring practical approaches to expanding housing delivery, he added.
However, Darma warned that such partnerships must remain transparent, commercially viable and accountable, with affordability at their core.
“Appropriate cross-subsidy arrangements and differentiated housing products are essential to ensuring that private-sector participation benefits a wider range of Nigerians,” he said.
He also identified local building-materials manufacturing hubs as part of the ministry’s strategy to reduce construction costs, stimulate domestic production and create employment.
Other policy initiatives include the National Urban Development Policy, National Physical Planning Standards, the National Policy on Rural Settlements Planning and Development, regional development plans and stronger physical-development planning frameworks.
The ministry is also working towards modernising the National Building Code to improve construction safety, accessibility, energy efficiency and climate resilience.
Darma said stronger professional oversight, enforcement and the use of safe locally produced building materials would help improve building quality and reduce avoidable structural failures.
He added that the establishment of a reliable National Housing Data Bank would provide credible information on housing supply and demand, affordability, land tenure, construction costs, population growth and infrastructure needs.
Such data, he said, would help guide investment decisions, identify underserved communities and improve the monitoring of government housing programmes.
Over 240 urban renewal projects delivered
On urban regeneration, the minister said the government had reported more than 240 urban renewal and slum-upgrading projects delivered nationwide, with over 100 additional projects at different stages of implementation.
He said the objective was to improve existing communities affected by deteriorating infrastructure, overcrowding, poor sanitation and inadequate public services.
Darma emphasised that regeneration programmes must be inclusive, people-centred and environmentally sustainable, warning against the unnecessary displacement of existing residents.
He said communities should participate in identifying development priorities, while regeneration projects should incorporate improved drainage, flood management, urban greenery, sustainable waste management and resilient infrastructure.
He also stressed the importance of integrating housing with transportation, public facilities and economic opportunities through effective land-use planning and development control.
The minister urged state and local governments to strengthen collaboration with the federal government, particularly in land administration, development approvals, infrastructure delivery and the implementation of physical development plans.
He called on financial institutions, private developers, professional bodies, development partners and communities to support efforts to expand affordable housing and regenerate Nigerian cities.
UN-Habitat calls for housing investment
In a message delivered on behalf of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, UN-Habitat Executive Director, Anacláudia Rossbach, highlighted the global scale of the housing challenge.
The message stated that more than three billion people worldwide were denied adequate housing, while over one billion lived in informal settlements and slums. Many others, it added, experienced homelessness or displacement resulting from conflict, disasters and climate change.
“Adequate housing is the foundation of dignity, security, and opportunity,” the message stated.
It called for coordinated action by national and local governments, stronger partnerships and reliable data to support housing policies and investment.
The UN secretary-general also urged reforms to the international financial architecture to mobilise adequate, predictable and affordable financing for developing countries seeking to expand housing delivery.
At the event, Niina Rinne, UN-Habitat’s Chief Technical Adviser and Head of its Nigeria Country Office, said the country’s housing challenge could not be resolved simply by constructing more houses without adequate urban planning.
She argued that new developments must be properly located, supported by infrastructure and connected to essential services, public transport, schools and employment opportunities.
“We cannot address the housing challenge simply by constructing more houses. We must also plan better neighbourhoods and better cities,” Rinne said.
She warned that poorly located housing could increase transportation costs, place additional pressure on infrastructure and expose communities to environmental risks.
Rinne also advocated investment in existing neighbourhoods and informal settlements through better drainage, safer streets, public spaces, basic services and climate-resilient infrastructure.
She said community participation was essential to ensuring that urban regeneration protected existing residents and livelihoods.
The UN-Habitat official reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in making urbanisation a driver of inclusive, resilient and sustainable development.
The commemoration ended with calls for governments, financial institutions, private developers and communities to translate policy commitments into measurable improvements in housing affordability, urban infrastructure and the living conditions of Nigerians.
The stakeholders maintained that expanding access to decent housing would require sustained investment, affordable financing, effective planning and stronger cooperation across all levels of government.
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