Nigeria To Host 42nd Annual General Meeting of Shelter-Afrique in May 2023   More than 200 delegates drawn from the 44 African member countries comprising Honourable Ministers, senior government officials, representatives from the financial service sector and organisations within the housing delivery spectrum attended Shelter Afrique's 41st Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Symposium from 25th - 29th July, 2022 at the Elephant Hills Hotel in the resort town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It was held under the theme ‘Climate Change and the Built Environment.’ The Government of Nigeria’s delegation to the 2022 AGM and Symposium was led by the Honourable Minister of State Works and Housing, Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub who was accompanied by other senior Government Officials and functionaries. With its Headquarters in Kenya, Nairobi, Shelter Afrique is the only Pan-African Finance Institution that exclusively supports the development of the housing and the real estate sector in Africa. It was established in 1982 by African Governments, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and African Reinsurance Corporation (African-Re) and is dedicated to providing funding solutions for affordable housing projects across Africa. Nigeria is a founding member of the Organization and holds priority position as the second largest shareholder with investments exceeding USD 30,000 representing 15.8 per cent of its shareholding, coming behind Kenya with 17.27 per cent, and ahead of the AfDB at 12.78 per cent. Nigeria hosted the West African Regional office of Shelter-Afrique established in 2014, and hosted the 13th and 36th Annual General Meetings of the Organization in Abuja in 1994 and 2016 respectively. Over the years, Shelter Afrique has worked in partnership with the Real Estate Developers Association (REDAN), State Governments and other property financiers and developers to curb Nigeria’s housing deficit, and recently in April, 2022 successfully raised a N46bn five and seven-years tenure Naira dominated bonds at 13 and 13,5 per cent respectively to further boost Nigeria’s housing supply and provide affordable housing. Once again, the capital city of Abuja, Nigeria is billed to host the 42nd AGM of shelter-Afrique in Abuja in the second week of May, 2023. As the main policy organ of the Organization, the 41st Shelter Afrique AGM held in Zimbabwe provided a forum for shareholders to collectively review and deliberate on the performance and continued growth of the Organization. A new Bureau of the General Assembly to run the Company for the next one year was elected comprising, the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Honourable Daniel Garwe (Zimbabwe) as Chairperson, Minister of Works and Housing, Honourable Raji Babatunde Fashola (Nigeria) as 1st Vice-Chairperson and Minister of Infrastructure, Honourable Dr. Ernest Nsabimana (Rwanda) as 2nd Vice-Chairman. The AGM also reviewed the Reports and Accounts for the financial year ended 31st December, 2021 and appointed new directors and External Auditors for the Company among other important administrative and organizational matters set to put the Organization on a progressive part of growth. The accompanying Annual Symposium at the 41st AGM which focused on ‘Climate Change and the Built Environment’ is one of the key activities of Shelter Afrique’s 2020-2025 strategy for disseminating information on topical issues. Driven by its Centre of Excellence and the need for research-based housing solutions, the Annual Symposium is designed to be an avenue for collaboration and synthesizing information, knowledge, best practices and innovations on housing and urban development issues to the wider African housing financing and production market. It has over the years served to document and disseminate information to African countries, stakeholders, and key partners. and provided solutions for better housing strategies. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the last two years have seen the world witness dramatic changes that have directly impacted the built environment and Climate Change which informed the theme for the 41st AGM. Climate Change has a significant influence on the social and environmental determinants of health, clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and housing security, and continues to affect day to day living, including making the provision of safe, habitable, weather proof shelter major challenges. The Symposium saw many seasoned experts address these pertinent issues, and introduce new technologies and innovations to ensure provision of good weather proof structures. As a Pan African housing development financier, a Roundtable Session of African Finance Ministers and Reserve Banks’ Governors on the theme: The Role of Central Banks in African Housing Markets was also held on the side-lines of Shelter-Afrique’s 41st AGM as part of its main activities. Central Banks the world over is considered an integral part of the economic and financial system of a nation and have a critical mandate to achieve and maintain price stability, maintain the financial system’s stability, define monetary policy and act as lenders of last resort. This central role of Central Banks was discussed in all its ramifications, and solutions and strategies were proffered by the Roundtable for further strengthening of its role in the real estate sector and provision of more efficient and effective service delivery. Another major highlight of the Shelter-Afrique’s 41st AGM was the signing of the Host Agreement for the Shelter Afrique 42nd AGM on Thursday 28th July 2022 between the Government of Nigeria represented by the Honourable Minister of State Works and Housing, Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub and Shelter Afrique represented by the Acting Managing Director Mr. Kingsley Muwowo, It signaled the commitment by the Government of Nigeria to host Shelter Afrique’s 42nd AGM earmarked for the second week of May 2023 in Abuja, Nigeria. The agreement spells out the Annual General Meeting, a Ministerial roundtable and interlinked business activities as some of the events that will constitute the proceedings. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Honourable Ministers, senior government officials and other stakeholders. The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, SAN will succeed Zimbabwe as Chairman during the 42nd Annual General Meeting in Abuja in 2023. The Government of Nigeria is expected to ensure effective organisation and success of the meetings by undertaking to contribute to the physical arrangements in collaboration with Shelter-Afrique. The Honourable Minister of State Works and Housing, Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub speaking as the first Vice Chairperson of the Shelter Afrique Bureau of the General Assembly expressed the Government of Nigeria’s pleasure to host the next AGM of Shelter-Afrique. He appreciated how things had come full circle when in 2016 Nigeria hosted the AGM when Shelter-Afrique was facing similar turbulence, and Nigeria steadied the ship and handed stewardship to Zimbabwe, and noted that Zimbabwe also now had an opportunity to do the same for Nigeria. He encouraged all shareholders to play similar roles when required to advance the cause for affordable housing in Africa. Nigeria’s Minister further observed that Nigeria recently contributed capital of US$7.1 million to the organisation which demonstrated the country’s commitment to Shelter-Afrique and the ideal of African Multilateralism. He also called for the organisation to deliver on its promise to add Shareholder Value and to swing into more positive action. He expressed gratitude to Shelter Afrique for putting together avenues for dialogues during the AGMs, and urged that frameworks be included that respective member countries can take back to their countries for implementation, a role which Nigeria will continue to advance as a member of the 41st Bureau of Shelter Afrique. Honourable Minister Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub also observed that Shelter Afrique’s return to Nigeria for its 42nd AGM demonstrated the Organization’s renewed interest in Nigeria and anticipated great returns towards housing delivery in the country. He noted that the gains to be accrued by Nigeria through hosting the AGM include regional integration, tourism and business linkages, and would also highlight Shelter Afrique’s role as a catalyst in the industry and its ability to leverage partnerships. He appreciated Shelter Afrique for bestowing trust upon Nigeria as a Nation by selecting it as its venue of choice. Also, as part of the week-long 41st AGM and Symposium activities Hon. Gen (Rtd) Dr. Constantino Chiwenga, the Vice President of Zimbabwe, officiated the ground-breaking ceremony for 164 units blocks of walk-up flats for Victoria Falls. The project is part of a revolving fund built in partnership with the private sector. The flats will be sold to affording citizens, targeting middle income earners in line with the Government’s primary focus to provide social housing for every worker including civil servants, in Victoria Falls and the countrywide can to address the housing backlog. A building and housing exhibition also ran parallel to the AGM for its week-long duration. ...

Federal Mortgage Bank Has Achieved a Lot Under Buhari - Fashola. ... Charges the Bank to do more. The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has said that the Federal Mortgage Bank under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has contributed positively to the development of the housing sector in Nigeria through commendable service delivery. The Minister said that at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria Board/ Management Retreat and unveiling of the bank's new corporate statement with the theme: Strategic Repositioning for Optimised Performance with a sub theme: Organisational Culture Change and Informal Sector Integration, which took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Monday August 1,2022. Fashola said, " Since the inception of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2015, the bank has a positive story of service delivery to tell with the number of mortgages that have been issued, housing schemes that have been funded and completed and changes that have been made to the eligibility conditions to improve access to funding." The Minister further said that equity contribution ratio for certain types of loans have been reduced. He charged the bank to do more as the Federal Government has infused the Board and Management with a sense of how to reposition itself for greater and optimal performance to serve members of the public, especially those that contribute to the National Housing Fund. Fashola stated that Federal Government has supported the FMB with the acquisition of core banking applications and software that reflect the reality of current banking environment to enable them operate comfortably like any ideal bank. He disclosed that the National Council on Housing and Land held last week in Sokoto adopted a recommendation for the FMB to seek NDIC's insurance of its contributor’s fund just as it is done for depositors in other banks. Although the Minister expressed appreciation for the services such as the issuing of mortgages, home refurbishment loans and the introduction of the rent to own Initiative, he charged them to think out other ways of easing other concerns of the people especially the problem of 2 - 3 years rent payment demand by landlords in advance from tenants. He observed that the problem of housing deficit is often seen from the angle of ownership whereas no country in the whole world has one hundred percent housing ownership, adding that it is a balance of ownership and rental. While commending the Management and Board of the bank for organising the retreat, he urged them to focus their deliberations on how the people can be served better. Earlier in an address the Chairman Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr. Ayodeji Ariyo, disclosed that the decision to have the retreat underscores the irrevocable commitment of the board to provide the required leadership and strategic direction for a rapid and sustainable positive turn - around in all facets of the bank's operations. Mr. Ayodeji said the wellbeing of individuals and families is negatively impacted when the need for satisfactory housing is not met. This according to him leads to poor health, resulting into increased financial burden on healthcare system, low productivity, low esteem and other bills. In his opening address, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Mr. Madu Hamman revealed that the COVID -19 global pandemic, the Russia - Saudi Arabia oil price and the Russia Ukrain conflict have impacted negatively on the global economy which posed some challenges to the bank. He, however, said that despite that, the bank has made remarkable achievements and is poised to record more. ...

National Housing Programme: You Can Apply on Behalf of Your Residents, Indigenes, Fashola Urges States .....Says Nigerian Housing Sector is heading in the right direction as 11th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development ends in Sokoto .....Over 5,000 C of O’s issued and 2,738 Consent to land transactions granted by FG since 2017 .....Charges States on land reforms; need to think and act on how to make payment of rent easier for both tenants and landlords .....In a Communiqué Council approves recapitalization of FMBN to meet world standard, among other recommendations The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has said that State Governments could apply on behalf of their residents and indigenes for the houses currently being subscribed to from the National Housing Programme across 34 States of the country. Speaking at the Executive Session of the 11th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, with the theme “Housing our People By All of Government and All Our People”, which held in Sokoto, the Sokoto State capital, from Monday, July 25 to Friday, July 29, 2022, Fashola explained that the State Governments could apply to fund the acquisition of parts of the National Housing Programmes constructed in their States should they desire to do so adding that after the acquisition, the State governments could then allocate to interested residents and indigenes.  “Let me use this platform to inform the meeting that State Governments can apply on behalf of their residents or indigenes to fund the acquisition of parts of the National Housing Programmes constructed in the states should they be so desirous,” the Minister informed the gathering which had in attendance the host State Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, State Commissioners in charge of Housing and land matters, law makers, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Bashir Nura Alkali, senior Ministry officials and representatives of various stakeholders in the  Housing Sector. Expressing delight that the National Housing Programme that was initiated by the Ministry under the Muhammadu Buhari administration is now delivering on its objective, the Minister added that apart from stimulating the economies of the 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the communities where work is being undertaken, the construction sites have become and remain centres of supply for building materials and other commodities. The Minister, however, pointed out that whatever the Federal and State Governments could do by way of housing construction was limited compared to what the private sector could do adding that the evidence out there showed very clearly that the bulk of housing in the society and across the world was delivered by the private sector consisting of individuals and corporate bodies. “In this regard, I am happy to report a visible increase in the participation of the private sector in Nigeria’s housing sector”, he said adding that the evidence of the development of estates across the nation could be seen, read and heard on the many media platforms in the country. “This is most welcome and must be encouraged”, he said. On the theme of this year’s Meeting, Fashola, who said the message emphasized the need for the collaboration of all levels of government and the private sector in housing delivery, declared, “From what I have said so far about what the Federal Government is doing, what the states are doing and what the private sector is doing, the Nigerian housing sector is heading in the right direction even if there is more work to be done”. The Minister said even with this realization, there was need for consciousness that not everybody wants a house built by government adding that there are those who would wish to build their houses themselves and only seek access to land. “We must, therefore, reform the process that governs the allocation of land and issuance of title documents such as Certificates of Occupancy” he said adding, “While the Federal Government has land mainly acquired from the States, the bulk of the work that needs to be done lies with the State Governments because of their almost total control of land by virtue of the Land Use Act”. Dismissing the argument in some quarters that the Land Use Act is the problem about access to land, Fashola pointed out that if there were such problem it would be with the administration of the law adding, “How much have we automated our land administration processes in order to make them efficient before complaining about that law? States that have made this type of investment will report an improvement in their land administration system”. “Today I can tell you that since 2017, when the President delegated his power under the Land Use Act to grant Consent and issue Certificate of Occupancy to the Ministry, we have issued over 5,000 Certificates of Occupancy and granted 2,738 Consent to land transactions”, the Minister said, adding that there is need to pay attention to the documents to facilitate housing delivery and housing finance. On the issue of rent, the Minister, who urged that Housing supply and demand be seen beyond ownership alone to include rental housing, said that the Federal Government has introduced, at its own level, the Rent-to-Own system into its acquisition/sale model for the disposal of the Houses in the National Housing Programme. He acknowledged that majority of the houses belong to the private sector who “expect legitimate income from rent for the properties”, but added that asking for two to three years rent in advance from working class people (as distinct from corporate tenants who may prefer to pay in advance) does more harm than good to all concerned and to the economy. Fashola, who also conceded that rent is a local matter over which the Federal Government has no constitutional authority, however, added, “I use the platform of this meeting to challenge and provoke all state representatives to thoughts and action about how we can make the payment of rent easier and comfortable for both tenants and landlords”. “This would be a most revolutionary intervention when working class people can pay their rent when they receive their salaries. This is possible if we try and this will give the fullest possible expression to the theme of this meeting which is “Housing Our People, By All of Government and All Our People”. Welcoming all the participants to the meeting, Fashola also thanked the Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the people and government of Sokoto State for accepting to host this year’s meeting and for all the provisions they made in that regard adding that as a result of the National Housing Programme many people who hitherto were unemployed have had their dignity restored “because they can leave home every day saying to their families – I am going to work”. “This is the part of the change we promised, and Sokoto State has not been left out”, the Minister said expressing delight also that the Ministry is now in a “Season of Completion”, as many of the houses have been completed and are now being handed over to the beneficiaries “who follow the allocation procedure set out in the National Housing Programme web portal (https://nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng)”. On the various commissioning currently going on across the states, he recalled that on March 22, 2022, the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, represented President Buhari to Commission the Sokoto State National Housing Programme adding that the first phase in the State included 80 units of housing comprising 4 units one bedroom, 48 units two bedroom, 28 units three-bedroom bungalows. Describing the ongoing commissioning as the evidence of Change, Fashola declared, “Today, people who had long dreamt to be homeowners now live that reality as they have been successfully allocated some of these houses”, adding that one of the most pleasing impacts of the National Housing initiative is that it has been used by President Buhari, to redeem the housing promise made to the 22-man squad of the Super Eagles since winning the African Nations Cup in 1994. “A promise that remained unfulfilled for 28 years has been redeemed by President Buhari, and if you ask the members of the Super Eagles, they will tell you that things have changed for them for the better”, the Minister said adding, however, that the National Housing Programme is only one initiative of the Federal Government to address the housing needs of our people. According to the Minister, “There are others by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) by way of direct construction in various states, just as the Federal Mortgage Bank has financed the construction of about 6000 housing units at various stages of completion. “Similarly, the Federal Government has increased its financing intervention support for housing through the Federal Mortgage Bank by increasing the number of mortgages that have been issued and reducing the equity contribution requirement to make it more accessible”, he said. He commended the State Governments for efforts in this direction adding, “I cannot ignore the various interventions by State Governments who have sensibly deployed resources to provide housing in their states and our host, Sokoto State is a good example”. In its Communiqué, the Council, among others, approved that the Government recapitalizes the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and build its capacity to the standard of similar World Class Institutions to take charge of housing development and finance, advocacy, compliance, mortgage guarantee, securitization, training and capacity building, improvement of communities, energy efficiency and drive positive growth in the overall economy. The Council also urged all States concerned to domesticate the National Urban and Regional Planning Laws in order to improve on the quality and sustainability of the environment. ...