The President and Chairman of Council, Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), Dr Victor Onukwugha has said the forthcoming 6th International Housing Conference scheduled for November 1-3rd at the Landmark Event Centre, Lagos is a must-attend for all stakeholders in the housing and construction sector.
In an exclusive interview with Africa Housing News, Mr Onukwugha said that preparations are in top gear to deliver a truly international conference in which speakers and participants from all part of the world would engage in discussions on affordable housing, financing, technology and everything that has to do with housing delivery in Africa.
He also stated that the conference would be a perfect opportunity to network for manufacturers of building materials and other stakeholders as it will feature an exhibition and expo in which they can showcase their products and services to the numerous participants some of whom would be coming from outside the country.
The AHCN president also assured that all resolutions at the conference will be crucial to addressing major challenges bedeviling the housing and construction industry as the association had gone out of its way to ensure that its resources persons are top-notch experts and professionals with years of experience.
He added, “Housing has become a main issue all over the world and it is time to take proactive measures towards addressing its challenges in ensuring that affordable housing is provided to one and all.”
He said the goal of the conference is to provide actionable plans and programmes that will be delivered to various levels of government especially at the federal and state levels and even at the local government; all geared towards housing delivery in the country and Africa as a whole.
Speaking on the AHCN, Mr Onukwugha noted that it is an association of all the housing corporations in 36 states of the country and the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and other federal research institutes like the Nigeria Building and Road Institute.
He said the association has been in the forefront of housing in Nigeria adding that, “In the past, Government has relied on the AHCN for its plans and programmes, even the certification of the Federal Housing Authority was as a result of the plans and programmes of the AHCN which has been here since 1964.”
On future plans of the association, he said, “We intend to still be proactive in advising government, we intend to meet with the Nigeria Governors Forum, we also want to meet with the National Assembly because there are so many issues to be discussed including some of the laws affecting housing delivery in Nigeria.
“In fact, we are looking at the review of the Land Use Act and introduction of Foreclosure Laws that have mitigated the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment into housing in Nigeria.”
