Mrs. Adeola Salako, Spokesperson of Lagos State Ministry of Housing has in a statement issued on Sunday said that the state has sought collaboration with the World Bank for rapid delivery of technology-driven and affordable mass housing schemes.
Salako quoted the Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, as seeking support during the visit of a team, led by Dr. Fuad Malkawi, Senior Urban Development Specialist and Spatial Planning Community of Practice Leader of the World Bank.
Akinderu-Fatai called for a partnership with the bank to ensure that the vision of housing for all in Lagos Mega City was attained.
“Uninhibited migration to Lagos from other states of the federation as well as some nations in the West Coast has made the issue of housing provision very critical.
“Given the littoral nature of the state, enormous support is required in the area of housing development,” he said.
The commissioner stated that the state needed to construct thousands of houses to absorb the inflow of people, hence the need for help in the area of innovative technology that could make housing development faster and safer.
“The required intervention in housing development now is new technology that can make for a speedy delivery without any compromise on quality and safety,” he said.
He added that vertical development of homes to capture the peculiarities of the state with scarce land could be boosted in order to adequately bridge the housing gap.
Akinderu-Fatai noted that collaborative efforts could address the challenges posed by climate change, using technology to reduce the likely impact of the factors on designing homes for the future.
He asked for the bank’s support in sourcing cheap funds that could help increase the number of homes, with a conventional mortgage for end-users, particularly low-income earners.
Dr. Fuad Malkawi, responding expressed World Bank’s enthusiasm to partner with the state in developing and executing strategies for urban renewal in Nigeria.
He said that issues related to housing could not be treated without reference to the efficient transportation systems, waste disposal and energy supply, stating that the bank’s main focus is to help in setting priorities and ensuring that developmental projects achieved their desired impact on people’s lives.
Earlier, Mr. Kamar Olowoshago, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, sought help for capacity development for middle-level professionals and artisans in the state, saying that the use of an indigenous workforce would reduce costs and enhance the economic development of the state.
He called for assistance in the area of digitalised monitoring of ongoing schemes to ensure speedy completion and delivery of the ongoing projects.
Dr. Banke Abejirin, the Urban Development Consultant to the World Bank, and management staffers of the ministry were also present at the meeting.
