The Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) held a meeting in Abuja to discuss collaboration on urban renewal and slum upgrading. The meeting aimed to strengthen collaboration, enhance living conditions in urban areas, and transform informal settlements into thriving, integrated neighborhoods with access to basic services.
The meeting also discussed providing $250,000 in annual funding support to the UN-Habitat Support Office (UN-HAPSO) in Nigeria. Nigeria’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, assured the UN-Habitat delegation that Nigeria is committed to upholding its duties and has already started the process of paying its statutory contributions.
Dangiwa also noted that UN-Habitat’s new vision of “a better quality of life for all in an urbanizing world” aligns fully with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration. He called on UN-Habitat to support the ministry’s ambitious plans to increase access to decent, quality, and affordable housing for all Nigerians.
Dangiwa also requested UN-Habitat’s technical support in mobilizing multilateral financing for the New City Development Project and the Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrading Program. He expressed hope that the meeting would usher in a new, audacious, inventive, and more significant cooperation between the two organizations.
The UN-Habitat delegation’s visit to Nigeria comes at a time when the ministry is working to build sustainable cities, improve slums, and make affordable homeownership more accessible to Nigerians. The ministry aims to leverage its partnership with UN-Habitat to accelerate and ensure the long-term success of its housing and urban development initiatives.