By Maduka Nweke
Nigeria’s Minister of Works & Housing, has called on professionals in both the building and financial sectors to align with government initiatives by investing in the sustainable building of homes through methods that are energy-efficient, eco-friendly and cost-effective in addressing the current urban housing demands.
Fashola made the call during the third edition of Lafarge Africa’s Concrete Ideas forum, a quarterly platform for strategic discussions of critical and topical issues in the area of construction and other section of its value chain, with the theme: New Solutions for Nigeria’s Urban Housing. He specifically called on industry practitioners to be abreast of modern housing needs and start redesigning homes through urban renewal programs.
He said: “the organised private sector must leverage their entrepreneurial skills to deliver footprints in the housing sector as the Federal Government is initiating fiscal and monetary policies to create a level playing field for practitioners”. He urged the respective state houses of assembly as well as their attorney generals to create enabling environment for land acquisition and transfer to aid urban renewal programs.
Fashola noted further that the Ministry of Works and Housing has recommended that the data of the next census exercise must include data about homeownership and rental to counter the assumed figures that are in circulation and hampering the developments already rolling out from the ministry.
The Chairman of Lafarge Africa Plc, Prince Adebode Adefioye, in his opening remark said Lafarge Africa is adapting Holcim’s perspective to Green Building Solutions in Nigeria and has consistently introduced unique products and building solutions that are purpose-built. Prince Adefioye noted that Lafarge Africa is adapting innovative products that are affordable and low-carbon emitting to suit the tropicalized Nigerian environment.
The Country Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Khaled El Dokani, for his part, said the concrete ideas forum has steadily become a veritable platform that brings key stakeholders across all sectors to proffer lasting solutions to Nigeria’s urban housing initiatives and policies.