The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, on Friday, announced its plans to partner with the World Bank Group to conduct a National Land Documentation and Titling Programme in the country......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Speaking at the workshop on ‘Nigerian Livable Cities’, organised by the ministry in collaboration with the World Bank, in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, said the move became necessary to explore the potential of land as an economic asset which is yet to be fully tapped by the country.
In the area of land, he deferred to statistics which shows that less than 10 per cent of land in Nigeria is registered and has titles.
“As a result, landowners cannot easily leverage land as an economic asset. This is sad. As part of our land reforms, we are exploring a partnership with the World Bank towards the implementation of a National Land Registration and Titling Programme.
“Through this programme, we aim to partner with State Governments towards improving land formalisation from less than 10 per cent to 50 per cent in the next ten years. This is critical to unlocking over $300bn in dead capital. We have already worked on a draft framework for the programme and I have directed the Ministry’s focal persons and Consultant to share it with the World Bank Group so we can begin the process towards adoption and implementation,” he said.
He added that the programme is an important component in the ministry’s land reforms strategy and will complement the ministry’s plans to set up a National Land Commission to operationalize the Land Use Act.
To this end, the minister said: “The workshop provides a platform to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and forge partnerships that will propel our cities towards sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth. We must harness the power of collaboration and leverage the expertise and experience of the World Bank to develop innovative solutions that address the multifaceted problems facing our cities.”
Dangiwa also reeled out the efforts of the Federal Government towards developing livable and sustainable cities, including the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme which aims to deliver 50,000 housing units in the first phase.
“Our cities, once strongholds of economic growth and social progress, are now grappling with an array of complexities: rapid urbanization, infrastructure deficits, environmental degradation, climate change, housing deficit, poor service delivery and social inequality. These challenges, while daunting, also present immense opportunities for innovation and transformation”, Dangiwa said.
The minister also stated that establishing new cities and estates provides an opportunity for deliberate planning and designing of urban spaces that are not only beautiful in addition to the landscape, but also promote efficiency and sustainability.
” This is more so given the climate challenges that we face in ensuring that the housing sector contributes its quota to helping our country meet its green gas reduction targets. At the Ministry, we believe that implementing green building techniques, efficient waste management, and creating green spaces can contribute to a healthier and more environmentally friendly urban landscape”, he said.