By Olamide Francis
Lagos is Africa’s most populous city with over twenty million residents. If the city were to be a country, it would boast of the fifth largest economy in Africa. The city – due to its mushrooming population – is faced with all shades of challenges cities with a rapid urbanization rate face. It is increasingly difficult to cater to the more than two thousand people that daily migrate into the state in search of greener pastures.
On top of the environmental challenges that this Nigeria centre of commerce faces is affordable and sustainable housing. With a housing deficit of 2.5million, there is a huge gap between the settlements across towns in the state. The concentration of housing and income levels has stratified the metropolis into various neighborhoods of low-income/high density, medium-income/medium density and high income/low density. In 2009, it was estimated that nearly seven in ten Lagosians live in slum communities with population densities between 790 and 1,240 people per hectare. Moreover, contrary to the global trend, the number and population of slums are rising in Lagos.
The extent of the housing shortage in Lagos is enormous. The urban poor, who are dominant in Lagos, are transforming the city to meet their needs, often in conflict with official laws and plans. They reside in the slums and squatter settlements scattered around the city and are predominantly engaged in informal economic activities which encompass a wide range of small-scale, largely self-employment activities. 60% of residents are tenants and have to pay rent as high as 50-70% of their monthly incomes since most of the existing accommodations are provided by private landlords.
Solutions
Rapid growth in population creates demand pressure towards shelter and efficient supply and distribution of basic utilities and services for the city dwellers. In most urban centres in Nigeria, the problem of housing is not only restricted to quantity but to the poor quality of available housing units, the effect which is manifested in overcrowding of houses. One of the most important challenges facing Lagos and Nigeria is the provision of affordable housing. As more and more Nigerians make towns and cities their homes, the resulting social, economic, environmental and political challenges need to be urgently addressed.
Several public and private sector institutions are directly or indirectly involved in housing; however, there is a need for improved efficiency, collaboration and mechanisms to improve housing delivery. The institutional framework for housing is characterised by public, quasi-public and private sector organisations. The main public sector institutions involved in housing consist of government ministries/departments that provide the regulatory and administrative framework for housing delivery.
While the role of each ministry is necessary, the cumbersome and lengthy regulatory approval processes involved tend to limit the private sector participation in the housing industry because this process leads to inefficiencies, wastefulness, exploitation, delays and high project cost. In general, an inadequacy of financial and human resources is the main constraint to the efficient coordination, implementation and enforcement of the public sector’s housing effort.
Also, planning standards are necessary to develop safe, disaster-resistant and quality housing, especially to core need households who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of natural hazards. Housing must remain affordable in order to meet the satisfaction of all households, particularly those with a “core need”. This is especially important since land and house prices, rent and construction costs have risen more rapidly than real incomes, thus reducing the housing options of low-income households. In addition, households’ access to financing is a critical component of housing affordability, particularly in view of the eligibility criteria of many lending agencies.
The mobilisation and harnessing of the combined resources, efforts and initiatives of public and private sectors, community organisations, civil society and the international community, is essential to house all citizens. The contribution and commitment of the skills, labour, creativity, knowledge, and financial and other resources of all these stakeholders is critical to facilitate an enabling environment to house all citizens.
It is absolutely essential for the housing delivery process to be implemented on a sustainable basis, paying due regard to social, historical, economic and ecological concerns. Consequently, it is important that short-term housing solutions do not undermine the opportunities for future generations to circumvent the viability of any long-term interventions aimed at sustainable growth. Environmental, economic, fiscal, social, cultural, financial and political sustainability are imperative to facilitate an effective housing delivery process. Sustainability is necessary to satisfactorily meet the requirements of all citizens throughout their lifetime.
