Nigeria Woos Chinese Firm for Large-scale Housing Investment

The federal government has opened discussions with a Chinese engineering firm, TEC Engineering Company (Nigeria) Limited, on possible partnerships to deliver large-scale housing projects and accelerate urban renewal across the country.

The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Shuaib Belgore, said the ministry was ready to deepen engagement with the company, particularly in housing development, urban renewal and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

Belgore spoke yesterday when he received a delegation from TEC Engineering, a subsidiary of China Railway International Group, on a courtesy visit to the ministry in Abuja.

He said the government was committed to reducing Nigeria’s estimated 15 million-unit housing deficit over the next decade, stressing that the scale of the challenge required stronger collaboration with private-sector investors capable of delivering homes in large volumes.

“We are looking at entities who want to build very large volumes of houses in Nigeria, and we are looking into that. Perhaps we can even look further into this kind of discussion with your company,” Belgore said.

The permanent secretary said the ministry was pursuing multiple approaches to increase housing delivery, including direct construction, PPPs and partnerships with private developers, while ensuring that the houses delivered remained affordable to Nigerians.

Beyond housing construction, he said the government’s urban renewal programme would focus on transforming communities through the provision of roads, water, drainage, electricity, healthcare facilities and other essential infrastructure.

Belgore commended TEC Engineering for its ongoing covered conduits and roads project in Kano State, acknowledging challenges arising from delays in budgetary releases but urging the company to maintain its pace of work.

He also said the ministry was willing to explore other areas of cooperation with the Chinese company, noting that Nigeria offered significant investment opportunities and remained open to partnerships capable of supporting national development.

Speaking earlier, President of China Railway International Group, Zhao Jinxiang, said TEC Engineering would continue with the Kano project despite challenges at the site, while expressing interest in expanding its activities in Nigeria to urban infrastructure, underground ducts, wastewater and sewage treatment.

Jinxiang disclosed that the company had executed more than 80 projects across 12 states, employing over 500 Nigerians alongside about 30 Chinese workers. He added that its operations had created work opportunities for more than 10,000 people in local communities.

He said Nigeria remained an important market for the company and pledged its willingness to deploy its expertise and capacity to support the country’s urban renewal and development agenda.