By Daniel Tyokua
The Federal Government has began discussion with Algeria on the need to share expertise to improve housing programs in Nigeria and Algeria.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa gave the indication when he had discussions with his Algeria counterpart, Mohamed Belaribi, Minister of Housing, Urban Planning and the City.
A statement from the Ministry last week, said the initiative was a move toward ensuring efficiency and sustainable impact of planned social housing across the country.
The meeting was at the instance of the 2023 Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Shelter which held from 3rd to 6th October.
Dangiwa underscored Nigeria’s commitment to addressing its housing challenges under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.
He revealed plans to rapidly increase Nigeria’s housing stock annually and create new cities across the country.
The statement mentioned the government’s plans to establish a National Social Housing Fund (NSHF) to cater to the housing needs of No income and low-income Nigerians and expressed eagerness to learn from Algeria’s successful social housing model.
Algerian Housing Minister, Belaribi while acknowledging the pivotal role housing plays in Algeria, highlighted Algeria’s remarkable progress, producing and distributing 1,160,000 housing units in 2020 and 400,000 units in 2022.
Belaribi outlined Algeria’s Integrated Cities approach, which includes incorporating schools, hospitals, roads, and ensuring security measures.
He stressed the importance of urban and land development, citing the National Scheme on Urban Development and the creation of five new cities as pivotal steps.
Minister Belaribi expressed readiness for collaboration, organizing meetings with key officials and offering Algeria’s expertise in various fields, emphasizing the importance of establishing a formal agreement between the two ministries and proposed a comprehensive framework for joint efforts.
The meeting between the two ministers marked a crucial step toward international cooperation, fostering collaboration that promises significant advancements in social housing, benefiting the citizens of both Nigeria and Algeria.
