Africa is grappling with a housing deficit of no fewer than 50 million units, with an estimated $1.4 trillion housing finance gap, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has said.
Dangiwa, who disclosed this at the 7th Africa Housing Awards in Abuja, said the housing crisis remains one of Africa’s most urgent development challenges.
At the event, about 52 individuals, organisations, government bodies, including Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Ahmed Dangiwa, and other African leaders, were honoured across three categories.
While the Kano governor was named Housing and Infrastructure-Friendly Governor of the Year for policies supporting mass housing delivery and urban renewal initiatives, Dangiwa emerged as Africa’s most transformational Minister of Housing and Urban Development 2025 for reforms targeting affordability, local materials, and private-sector participation.
The minister warned that without accelerated solutions, the continent’s housing deficit could rise to about 130 million units by 2030.
According to him, Nigeria’s housing deficit is conservatively estimated at over 17 million units, but he noted that the Federal Government was responding with scale and systems.
The minister said, “Today, about 54 million Africans live in urban slums, and the continent faces a shortfall of housing of at least 50 million housing units, whose housing finance gap is estimated at over 1.4 trillion dollars.
“So if you do not accept the solution or accelerate the solutions, Africa’s housing deficit is projected to rise to about 130 million units by 2030. .
He noted that housing could no longer be treated as a peripheral sector, stressing that it sits at the intersection of economic growth, social stability, urban resilience and human dignity.
Dangiwa commended the organisers of the Africa International Housing Show for sustaining advocacy and accountability in the sector, describing the annual event as more than a conference.
Turning to Nigeria, the minister said the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, had adopted a shift from fragmented housing projects to a structured national programme focused on measurable delivery.
Dangiwa revealed that in the last two years, the ministry had commenced over 10,000 housing units across 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
He added that, through urban renewal and slum-upgrade programmes, the government had impacted more than 150 communities nationwide with critical infrastructure.
The minister, however, stressed that no single government or country could address the housing challenge alone, calling for a continental approach.
Speaking, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, Grace Ike, called for stronger collaboration between journalists and housing sector stakeholders to improve access to decent housing for media professionals.
Ike praised the organiser of the Africa Housing Awards and CEO of Housing TV Show, Barrister Festus Adebayo, for his consistent advocacy and support for journalism, saying the platform had amplified public discourse on affordable housing.
She appealed to the Minister of Housing to fulfil the promise of a Journalists’ Village in the FCT, urging that the project be realised by 2026, with support from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
“That promise ignited dreams across newsrooms. Now, we make a passionate appeal not to abandon us. Our dream is to see your promise come to fruition in 2026. With the support of the Mortgage Bank, this village can rise, equipping journalists with stable homes to focus on ethical reporting and peace-building”, she said.
Namibia’s Minister of Urban and Rural Development, James Sankwasa, who received the Minister for Housing of the Year 2025 award, said Africa has reached a point where it must recognise and celebrate its own development efforts.
Convener of the awards, Festus Adebayo, said the housing and construction sector remains a major driver of growth, job creation, and national development.
He said this “informed our decision to come up with this Africa Housing award ceremony seven years ago to recognise and appreciate contributions of deserving individuals and organisations contributing to the development of the sector, which has been attracting participants from all across Africa.”
According to him, the Housing sector is evolving amid new technologies, shifting regulations, global economic pressures, and environmental challenges that continue to influence how we work.
He added, “We would not hesitate to expose any fraudulent malpractices that have been given bad names to the sector, even if you are our award recipient. We are collaborating with the National Assembly, Federal Capital Territory, Federal Ministry of Housing, Lagos State government and other regulatory agencies to ensure appropriate regulations are put in place, like what is obtainable in Dubai.”
