By Abdul Razaq Balogun

Nigeria is undergoing one of the fastest urban transitions in the world. Every year, millions of people move to cities in search of better economic opportunities, education, healthcare and improved living standards. According to the World Bank, more than half of Nigeria’s population now lives in urban areas, and this figure is projected to rise to approximately 70 per cent by 2050.

Well-managed cities can drive economic growth, improve productivity and foster innovation by bringing people, businesses and public services closer together. As the OECD notes, cities are powerful engines of economic growth and job creation when they are planned and managed effectively. But in many Nigerian cities, demand for housing, transportation, water supply, sanitation and waste management has outpaced the capacity of existing systems. Congested roads, informal settlements, flooding and inadequate public services have become familiar features of urban life, affecting both economic productivity and quality of life.

These challenges are usually framed as infrastructure deficits: problems to be solved with more roads, more housing and more investment. That framing, however, is incomplete. The more important question is whether the institutions responsible for planning, coordinating and managing urban growth have the capacity to keep pace with it. Answering that requires looking beyond the physical infrastructure of cities to the systems of governance that shape how they are planned, managed and sustained.

Beyond Infrastructure: Rethinking Urban Development

Infrastructure alone does not create well-functioning cities. Behind every housing project, transport network, waste management system or flood control initiative are institutions responsible for planning, coordination, implementation and oversight. It is the effectiveness of these institutions that determines whether investments deliver lasting benefit or fall short.

Consider housing. Increasing the supply of homes requires more than construction. It depends on credible data on housing deficits, efficient land administration, transparent planning approval processes and enforcement of development standards.

Improving public transport means not just buying buses or building rail, but coordinating multiple agencies and integrating transport planning with land use. Waste management and drainage, similarly, depend on institutions that can manage contracts, enforce regulations and maintain infrastructure long after it is built.

Urban development, in other words, is not simply about building infrastructure. It is about building the institutions capable of planning, delivering and sustaining it. As Nigeria’s cities continue to grow, strengthening these institutional foundations matters as much as investing in the physical assets that shape urban life.

Why Institutions Matter

Institutional capacity is what turns policy into outcomes. Effective urban development requires more than ambitious policies or well-designed master plans; it depends on institutions with the people, technical expertise, systems and resources to implement them: skilled professionals, robust administrative and financial management, adequate funding, and the technical capability to regulate and oversee increasingly complex urban environments.

Four qualities, in particular, define institutional strength in this context:

Data: Decisions about housing, transport, land use and flood management are only as good as the information behind them. Accurate, up-to-date data lets governments anticipate growth and allocate resources proactively; without it, planning becomes reactive rather than strategic.

Coordination: Urban development is inherently cross-sectoral, and in Nigeria it must also span levels of government. Federal roads connect to state networks; housing, environmental management and urban planning routinely require multiple state MDAs to work together. When institutions operate in isolation, duplication, delays and fragmentation undermine otherwise well-conceived policies.

Continuity: Cities evolve over decades; political administrations change every few years. Long-term urban plans need institutions that can hold strategic direction across electoral cycles, creating a predictable environment for citizens, businesses and investors.

Accountability: Transparent decision-making, clear regulatory processes and mechanisms for monitoring performance build public trust and improve delivery, and, as UN-Habitat has emphasised, give institutions a way to learn and adapt over time.

Together, these four qualities are what determine whether urban development is strategic rather than reactive, coordinated rather than fragmented, and ultimately capable of delivering sustainable outcomes for Nigeria’s growing cities.

Recommendations

Recognising that Nigeria’s urban challenges are fundamentally institutional as much as they are infrastructural shifts the focus from simply building more to governing better. The following recommendations highlight some of the reforms that could improve urban development outcomes.

1. Strengthen Local Urban Governance

The 2024 Supreme Court’s judgment affirming the financial autonomy of local governments represents an important step towards empowering the third tier of government, but reform must translate into better service delivery. Local governments carry responsibility for much of everyday urban life, including sanitation, waste management, local roads, markets and primary healthcare, and need the authority, resources and accountability to deliver on it, in better coordination with state and federal government.

2. Invest in the Public Servants Who Deliver Urban Development

Build technical depth across the urban governance ecosystem: planners, engineers, architects, transport planners, environmental and climate specialists, geospatial analysts. Pair this with the resources, technology and operational systems MDAs need to function effectively.

3. Build Data Systems That Support Better Decision-Making

Invest in national and subnational statistical systems, geospatial information, land administration systems and integrated data platforms. Reliable data on population growth, housing demand, transport patterns and environmental risk is what allows government to plan ahead of crises rather than respond to them.

4. Strengthen Coordination and Long-Term Planning

Strengthen mechanisms for coordination across MDAs and across federal, state and local government, and invest in integrated development plans and medium-term planning and budgeting frameworks that align priorities with resources. This reduces fragmentation and helps urban development hold steady through changes in political leadership.

5. Embed Accountability and Performance Measurement

Set clear objectives and measurable indicators and institutionalise regular reporting and independent evaluation. Build citizen engagement into planning processes, ensuring that government remains responsive to the priorities of the communities it serves.

Conclusion

Nigeria’s urban future will not be determined solely by the roads it builds or the housing it finances. It will be determined by the strength of the institutions responsible for planning, coordinating and sustaining that growth.

The challenge ahead is no longer simply accommodating urbanisation. It is governing it effectively, through capable public institutions, empowered local governments, reliable data, coordinated planning, and sustained investment in the people and systems that shape how cities grow.

Abdul Razaq Balogun is a Development specialist and Executive Vice Chair to the EVC, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation