FHA develops housing blueprint for states

 

 

 

The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has developed a partnership blueprint to meet the housing needs and peculiarities of each state government in Nigeria, according to a newsletter by the organisation. FHA had already commenced aggressive campaign on the new initiative by meeting with state governments geared towards making houses accessible to Nigerians.

In one of such meetings recently held with the Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Masari, Managing Director of FHA, Professor Mohammed Al-min, said the new initiative was informed by the need to boost housing delivery and create employment opportunities for the nation’s youths. He said similar visits would be paid to other states in the weeks ahead.

Presenting the blueprint to Masari, the FHA boss said the geometric growth of major cities and towns in the state, availability of housing raw materials in large quantities as well as the teeming population of employable youths that could be trained and engaged in construction, were conditions that favoured mass housing development in the state.

According to him, FHA has different delivery models such as social housing, commercial housing and public-private partnership on which a successful partnership could be built with the state government. He added that the state government is at liberty to either engage FHA in direct construction of houses using its funds or with the Authority’s funds and off-takers’  commitment.

Al-Amin said other funding windows include tripartite or bicameral partnerships with foreign investors, funding from international development groups, direct intervention through coordination of self-help community housing projects and the enhanced internally generated revenue of the state through improving the system of fees collections such as premiums and ground rents.

The FHA CEO also sought the state government’s cooperation in job creation through the housing and construction industry that involves value chain improvement in related activities, engaging youths in municipal waste management and environmental sanitation as well as collaboration with foreign investors on housing cottage industry in the local government areas.

Governor Masari commended FHA for the initiative, expressing the state government’s readiness to key into the initiative. He however urged the Authority to structure the deal in conformity with the culture of the people and that the houses should be affordable.

Source: Vanguard Business-By Yinka Kolawole