Lagos State Government has sought increased collaboration with the World Bank for the development of its mass housing schemes .
During a working visit by a World Bank team to his office, the Commissioner for Housing, Mr Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, sought partnership with the bank to ensure that the state government’s vision of housing for all is achieved.
The World Bank delegation was led by its Senior Urban Development Specialist, Dr Fuad Malkawi. He is also the leader of the patial Planning Community of Practice.
“Uninhibited migration to Lagos from other states of the Federation and some countries in the West Africa region has made the challenge of housing very critical. Given the littoral nature of the state, enormous support is required in the area of housing development”, Akinderu-Fatai said.
He pointed out that the state needs to build thousands of houses to accommodate the iincreasing nflux, soliciting assistance in innovative technology that could make housing development faster and safer across the state.
The commissioner said: “The required intervention in housing development now is a new technology that can make for a speedy delivery without any compromise on quality and safety”.
Emphasising vertical development of homes in a manner that the scarce land available in the state can be optimised for maximum housing yield, Akinderu-Fatai said that collaborative efforts should also address the challenges posed by climate change and technology, and the likely impact on designing new homes for the future.
He also urged the World Bank to support sourcing cheap funds, not necessarily foreign exchange, that could help increase the number of homes built and make them easily accessible through convenient mortgages for end users, particularly low-income earners.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr Kamar Olowoshago sought the help of the visiting team for the capacity development of middle-level professionals and artisans, noting that the utilisation of the indigenous workforce would reduce building costs as well as enhance the economic development of the state.
Olowoshago also appealed for assistance in digitalised monitoring of ongoing schemes to ensure speedy completion and timely delivery of ongoing projects.
In response, Malkawi expressed the willingness of the bank to partner with the state in developing and implementing strategies for urban renewal in Nigeria.
He pointed out that housing issues cannot be treated without reference to an efficient transportation system, waste disposal and energy supply, stressing that the main focus of the World Bank is to help in setting priorities and ensuring that developmental projects achieve the desired impact on people’s lives.
Present at the meeting were management staff of the Ministry and the Urban Development Consultant to the World Bank, Dr Banke Abejirin.
