Tinubu to Flag off 3,112 Housing Units as FG Launches Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is set to flag off the construction of 3,112 housing units at the Karsana area of the Federal Capital Territory.  The groundbreaking exercise, scheduled for Thursday 8th of February 2024, is part of a Public-Private Partnership project signed in December 2023 between the Ministry and a consortium of companies comprising Continental Civil and General Construction Limited and Ceezali Limited for a total of 100,000 housing units nationwide. The first phase of 20,000 housing units is set to be delivered in the FCT, out of which 3,112 units are to be constructed at the Karsana site. The ground-breaking exercise to be conducted by the President will mark the official launch of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme, initiated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to increase the housing stock in the country and bridge the prevailing housing deficit. The Cities will have a minimum of 1,000 housing units per site in one location in each of the six geo-political zones of the country and the FCT, while the Estates will have a minimum of 500 housing units per site in the remaining thirty (30) States. The Renewed Hope Cities and Estates, as the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has continued to emphasize, will be designed as integrated living communities targeting all income brackets, and comprising one bedroom block of flats, two-bedroom blocks of flats, and three-bedroom blocks of flats targeting low – medium income earners; two-bedroom terraces, four-bedroom terraces, four-bedroom duplexes, and five-bedroom duplexes targeting high income earners. The PPP project at Karsana is being funded by the developers who also sourced for the land, while the Ministry is creating the enabling environment and will facilitate access by off-takers for the houses from subscribers to the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme managed by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), an agency under the Ministry. The project is the first in a series that the Ministry will be embarking on in the coming weeks. Others are the 2,500 Renewed Hope City housing units at the Ibeju-Lekki Coastal City, Lagos, 500-housing unit Renewed Hope Estate in Kano and 250 housing units in twelve (12) states, two in each geopolitical zone, as Renewed Hope Estates in Ogun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Abia, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Benue, Yobe, Gombe, Katsina and Sokoto.  At the core of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme is the cross-subsidy component where 80% of the housing units developed will be sold at commercial rate while 20% will be sold at concessionary rates to low- and medium-income Nigerians who are members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress. The idea is to deploy profits made from the commercial units as a subsidy for the units reserved for low- and medium-income earners. Also notable are the numerous ownership options available to Nigerians aimed at enhancing the affordability of the houses. These include single digit, 30-year mortgage loans to be provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Rent-to-Own options where beneficiaries can move in and pay towards homeownership in monthly, quarterly or annual instalments, and Outright Purchase for high income earners. It would be recalled that the President approved N100bn for the Ministry in the 2023 Supplementary budget and N18.9billion in the 2024 budget for the implementation of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates as well as Urban and Slum Upgrading programmes. The Renewed Hope Cities and Estates project also made the list of the President's Top 10 projects for 2024, spurring widespread optimism about his commitment to the project. ...

Housing Ministry Plans Training of Artisans in Building Sector The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development plans to train Artisans in the building sector to improve their capabilities. The Honourable Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arch. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa disclose this in Abuja while inspecting the ministry's Training Institute for Artisans in the building sector located in Kuje area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja  Arch. Dangiwa said that the training when started would empower and enable Artisans to acquire robust skills in the building sector  He added that participation would be drawn from selected Artisans such as Carpenters, Welders, Plumbers, Masons, Electricians and painters across the 36 States. The Minister emphasizes the role of Artisans in building   industry and the economy at large as they contribute largely to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Dangiwa who expressed satisfaction with the facilities on ground said necessary arrangements should be made for the completion of work in all the blocks so that training would be conducted on quarterly basis. Earlier, the Minister inspected work at the site for the proposed Renewed Hope City at Karsana Estate phase 3 in Abuja which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is expected to do the ground breaking in a few weeks time. The Honourable Minister was accompanied by the Minister of State, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo, Permanent Secretary, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi and Some Directors in the Ministry.   ...

FG Inaugurates Housing Reforms Task Teams, Urges Commitment to Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, has Tuesday 16th January 2023 inaugurated four (4) Reform Task Teams to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development. The Task Teams are the Housing Institutions Reform Task Team, Multi-Agency Project Delivery Task Team, Land Reforms Task Team, and the Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs Task Team. In his remarks, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa noted that the Task Teams represent an important step towards delivering on the mandate of the Ministry in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President. He decried the failure of successive governments to implement plans and recommendations put forward by committees in the past, noting that the difference with the present inauguration is the political will of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, his commitment as Minister, and the reputation of the chairmen and members of the Task Teams. "What unites us is the desire for Nigeria to have a vibrant, functional, and efficient housing industry that not only meets the shelter needs of Nigerians but also to unlock the massive potential of the sector for catalyzing inclusive economic growth. Over the 60 years of Nigeria’s independence, we have witnessed successive governments roll out a series of housing development plans and policies. Despite these many plans, our country has sadly failed to meet the housing needs of Nigerians as we still grapple with a huge housing deficit.  "Housing sector contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) hasn’t moved in any significant way over the past several decades, housing development institutions are still only functioning at sub-optimal capacities, and the enabling housing laws are obsolete", he said. Arc. Dangiwa noted that the President has demonstrated that housing is a part of his priorities towards actualizing his vision of creating a $1 Trillion economy by demerging the Ministry from the Ministry of Works and appointing built professionals to lead it, adding that the Task Teams are a major foundational step necessary to implementing the historic reforms for actualizing the Presidential vision. "The Task Teams have been carefully constituted to include all relevant stakeholders, such as agencies of government, professional and regulatory bodies, the academia, industry experts, traditional rulers, and other groups. The goal is to tap from the wealth of knowledge and experience of these relevant sectors and individuals and come up with strategies that are inclusive, wholesome, and can stand the test of time. While he acknowledged the skepticism that often accompanies such Teams due to past failures and public mistrust, he assured that the chairmen and members of the Teams are individuals of character who have exhibited professionalism, result-oriented leadership, and distinguished service in their various fields. "I am confident that they will deliver, and the deliverables will form the foundation for a strong and vibrant housing and urban development sector", he said. The Housing Institutions Reform Task Team is expected to develop a robust framework for ensuring that housing agencies under the supervision of the Ministry are optimized to deliver effectively on the Renewed Hope Vision for the provision of quality, decent, and affordable homes to Nigerians. This includes a thorough review and facilitation of necessary legislative amendments of relevant housing industry laws including the National Housing Fund (NHF) Act,1992, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Establishment Act, 1993, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Act,1973, and PenCom Act to allow for increased investment in housing.  The Team will also map out strategies for driving the nationwide adoption and passage of the model mortgage foreclosure law in States. On their part, members of the Multi-Agency Project Delivery Task Team are saddled with the responsibility to ensure that all housing agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development work collaboratively towards optimizing their strengths to deliver decent and affordable housing to Nigerians, by removing the bottlenecks that hinder effective collaboration between the Ministry and housing agencies.  The Minister said part of its Terms of Reference includes developing a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for the construction of 50,000 new houses per year.  The Land Reforms Task Team, on the other hand, is tasked with developing a blueprint that will aid the sustainable implementation of much-needed reforms necessary for streamlining land administration and ensuring easy, cost-effective, and efficient access to land in Nigeria, drawing from the extensive work of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reforms (PTCLR) which has been working for the past 14 years towards comprehensive reforms including the establishment of a National Land Commission. The fourth is the Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs Task Team which is expected to conduct a thorough assessment of the current state of the building materials manufacturing sector in Nigeria, including existing facilities, capacities, and key players, as well as identify challenges and opportunities within the sector.  The result will be a blueprint that will ensure sustainable implementation of reforms for the sector and the establishment of building materials manufacturing hubs in each of the six (6) geo-political zones across the country. Delivering the vote of thanks, the Minister of State, Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo urged the Task Teams to take the job as a call to national service to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the initiatives. The leaders of the Teams were handed the Terms of Reference for each team and urged to work within the stipulated timelines for the speedy actualization of the deliverables. ...