Providing Mass Housing Through Public Private Partnership

Housing is an essential requirement for human existence because it provides shelter from rain, sun and other hazardous conditions. Likewise, it serves as an avenue for family members to unite and interact with each other.

Among the many needs of the nation, housing is of great importance. It would be noted that in some parts of the country,it is a   common sight  to see people  living under the bridge, while some are unfortunate  to find themselves in houses that are not fit  for human habitation.

However, in reducing the 18 million housing deficit, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) can be engaged so as to ensure that people have access to affordable housing because government alone cannot handle the bulk of providing housing for its citizenry. 

The PPP approach is said to be a sustainable effort between the public and private sectors, in which each contributes to planning and resources needed to accomplish a mutual shared objective.

All in all, Public Private Partnership in housing development could help to accelerate access to housing through provision of services, lower costs of production, access to mortgage finance, better quality, faster delivery times, mobilisation of resources, incentives, amongst others.

In his submission, Abu Malik, a private developer, said that the housing situation was getting out of hand and  suggested that housing projects be given to PPP to help assist government.

“Most private developers are willing to build houses at an affordable rate, if only Public Private Partnership(PPP) is given more room to thrive. Another obstacle to the PPP venture is that land for building is inaccessible.

"PPP should be encouraged because it promotes and accelerates housing development for all income earners group,” he said.

Also speaking, the president of the Town Planners Registration Council of Nigeria(TPRCN), Allabeh Ndirmbula said, “There is a need for private partnership, effort should be made to provide housing for middle income earners' group so that people will not be too desperate to develop slums,” he said.

Aside the PPP approach, in an effort to ensure that housing is available to all, the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Amal Pepple, recently presented two draft policies on housing to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.

Since 2005, she said, there had been no approved national policies for ensuring coordinated actions, at all levels of government for optimising the contribution of the housing and urban development sector to national development.

The minister said that after the approval by FEC, the ministry would be able to run the programmes aimed at achieving a housing revolution in the country with the goal of “ensuring that all Nigerians own or have access to a decent and safe houses in healthy environments, with infrastructural services at affordable cost and with secure tenure as contained in the draft National Housing Policy."