FHA develops housing partnership blueprints for states

TO accelerate housing delivery in the country, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has developed a partnership blueprints designed to meet the housing needs and peculiarities of each state government in Nigeria.This is contained in a newsletter released by the Authority last weekend in Abuja.

Already, FHA had commenced aggressive campaign on this new initiative, meeting with state governments as part of enlightenment programme towards ensuring the success of the innovation geared to making houses for accessible to Nigerians.
In a parley with the Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Masari, the Managing Director of FHA, Professor Mohammed Al-min, said the new initiative was informed by the need to put new impetus to housing delivery and to create employment opportunities for the nation’s youths.

Similar visits would be paid to other states in weeks ahead, says Al-Amin.
While presenting the blueprint to Masari, Al-Amin said the geometric growth of the major cities in the state and the fast growth of other towns, the availability of housing raw materials in large quantities as well as the teeming population of employable youths could be trained and engaged in construction were conditions that favoured mass housing development in the state.

According to him, FHA has different delivery models such as social housing, commercial housing and public-private partnership on which a successful partnership could be built with the state government.

Also, parts of the windows is that the state government are at liberty to either engage FHA in direct construction of houses using its funds or with the Authority’s funds and off-takers’ commitment.

Al-Amin added that, other funding windows are tripartite or bicameral partnerships with foreign investors, funding from international development groups, direct intervention through coordination of self-help community housing projects and the enhanced internally generated revenue of the state through improving the system of fees collections such as premiums and ground rents.

The FHA’s Chief Executive also invited the state government to partner with it in job creation through the housing and construction industry that involves value chain improvement in activities related to housing and construction, engaging youths in municipal waste management for income and environmental sanitation as well as collaboration with foreign investors on housing cottage industry in the local government areas.

Al-Amin further proposed job out-sourcing for the two FHA new town projects at Bwari and Kwali in the Federal Capital Territory, job training, support, engagement of youths in residential alternative energy production, support, job training and outsourcing in FHA’s home security and protection programmes.

In his response, Masari, thanked the Authority for the partnership blueprint, which he said was coming at a time his administration was looking the housing sector to provide relief for the people of the state.

The Governor expressed the state government’s readiness to key into the initiative, but urged the FHA to structure the deal in conformity with the culture of the people and that houses that would be built should be affordable.
Masari added that such housing projects would also need to be taken to the local government areas so as to minister to the needs of the people at the grassroots.

He assured Al-Amin that his cabinet, which would soon be inaugurated, would definitely consider the offer and take a position, which would be communicated to the Authority in due course.
He urged FHA not to relent in coming up with housing products that would alleviate the housing challenge of Nigerians, while pledging his government’s support to the Authority.