In a bid to ensure strong collaboration for the provision of affordable housing for low income earners, stakeholders in the housing sector, in a public-private partnership have proposed the establishment of state affordable housing commissions.
The stakeholders, present at the Abuja International Housing Show , comprises of State governments, organized private sector; developers, academics, landowners, building material suppliers and manufacturers.
The Managing Director, Nigeria Police Force Property Development and Construction Company Limited, Olukemi Olomola-Sijuwade, who produced the idea, said government, should take up the role creating policy and regulatory environment for the delivery of affordable housing.
She maintained that “various government planning departments should by law ensure that adequate land is available and dedicated for affordable housing based on data on housing need”.
“In the same vein, developers could focus on delivery of housing in many cases considering specific market segmentation. On the financing side, mortgage providers should focus on ensuring the availability of mortgages and limiting the exit risk of developers” she said.
Specifically, Olomola-Sijuwade recommended that the private and public sector led by a representative board should jointly manage the commission, including all stakeholders with leadership by rotation.
She said the proposed commissions should be responsible for carrying out a housing needs study every five years, engage in capacity building and training programmes; ensuring the planning system sets aside adequate land to meet housing needs by allocating lands for affordable housing and regeneration.
