Nigeria’s Housing Minister Calls for Enhanced Urban Sustainability at Cairo Forum Nigeria’s Housing Minister Calls for Enhanced Urban Sustainability at Cairo Forum
At the 12th World Urban Forum’s African Ministerial Caucus in Cairo, Egypt, Nigeria’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, made a resounding call for African nations to strengthen their commitment to sustainable urban development by accelerating the New Urban Agenda.
In his address, Dangiwa emphasized the urgency of sustainable urban planning across Africa, noting that Nigeria is actively working to achieve these goals through collaborative initiatives, innovative financing models, and robust public-private partnerships.
The caucus brought together Housing, Land, and Urban Development Ministers from several African countries, including Uganda, Lesotho, Zambia, and Eswatini, each presenting progress reports on advancing urban sustainability. Financial institutions, notably Shelter Afrique Development Bank, also joined the discussions, highlighting the importance of financial collaboration to propel sustainable urbanization across the continent.
Dangiwa highlighted the unified stance African nations adopted at the recent African Urban Forum in Addis Ababa, where they pledged to prioritize Sustainable Development Goal 11 and align it with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
“African nations must develop and implement comprehensive plans that integrate infrastructure, environmental care, and economic growth to transform our cities into engines of opportunity,” he said.
A major resolution from the forum was a push to establish national urban forums in each country, aimed at fostering stakeholder dialogue to strengthen national policies on urban planning, climate resilience, and economic inclusion, aligning with the goals of the Africa Urban Resilience Programme (AURP).
The Minister also underscored the need for transparent financial systems and called on financial institutions to create innovative funding models that address the housing needs of low-income populations and promote sustainable growth. He cited Nigeria’s partnership with Shelter Afrique Development Bank as a model for mobilizing concessional funding to close Africa’s urban development financing gap.
Additionally, Dangiwa shared Nigeria’s recent initiatives under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, including the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Program, which aims to provide 100,000 housing units across the country.
He also reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable urban development through partnerships with IFC EDGE, supporting green building practices, urban renewal projects, and slum improvements, demonstrating an integrated approach to advancing urban environments across the nation. The minister led a high powered delegation of many state commissioners, President of professional bodies ,international organizations in Nigeria including CEO and convener of the Africa International Housing show
