The federal government has sought Qatar’s partnership to address Nigeria’s estimated 15 million housing deficit and accelerate urban renewal across the country.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, made the call when the Ambassador of Qatar to Nigeria, Yusuf Al-Hail, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

This was contained in a statement issued by the ministry’s director of press and public relations, Badamasi Haiba, on Friday.

Mr Darma said the proposed partnership would support the provision of social housing across the country’s 774 local government areas.

He also said collaboration with Qatar would help accelerate urban renewal and improve the living conditions of Nigerians, particularly vulnerable citizens.

The minister explained that the ministry’s mandate goes beyond building houses to include urban upgrades and slum renewal.

He said the government is committed to creating better, more habitable communities through integrated housing and urban development initiatives.

According to him, addressing the housing deficit required partnerships with development institutions, governments and humanitarian organisations.

“We do not only develop houses; we also do urban upgrades to improve the living conditions of the people,” Mr Darma said.

He noted that Nigeria required about 15 million houses to adequately address the needs of vulnerable Nigerians.

“We therefore wish to extend an invitation to the Government of Qatar and institutions like Qatar Charity and the Qatar Fund for Development to help us close this gap,” he said.

Mr Darma commended the strong bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Qatar, saying the ties had grown beyond formal diplomacy into personal bonds between the leaders of both countries.

He thanked Qatar for its humanitarian interventions across Nigeria, particularly in Katsina, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The minister also acknowledged ongoing Qatari projects in Nigeria, including interventions at the University of Abuja.

He urged Qatari institutions to scale up their interventions from state-level projects to federal-level collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Mr Darma said such collaboration would enable the ministry to deliver more affordable housing and urban renewal projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He said that the government remained committed to creating opportunities for vulnerable Nigerians to access decent and affordable accommodation.

Earlier, Mr Al-Hail reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Nigeria, particularly in housing and urban development.

The envoy said Qatar had maintained an embassy in Nigeria since 2004 and had continued to deepen cooperation with the country in various sectors.

He said Qatari charity organisations and foundations had been active in Nigeria for more than 15 years, implementing projects in different parts of the country.

Mr Al-Hail disclosed that the organisations had recently implemented three projects in Abuja, adding that Qatar was prepared to support Nigeria through “concrete and tangible projects.”

He also highlighted Qatar’s interventions in education, including a recent project supporting more than 3,000 girls across different states.

The ambassador said the educational intervention was implemented in partnership with local partners and the United Nations under the umbrella of the Qatar Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He added that the Qatari Embassy remained open to exchanging information and facilitating visits between officials and institutions of both countries.

Both parties agreed to explore a framework for technical collaboration and investment in affordable housing and urban renewal projects. 

(NAN)