The Federal Ministry of Housing, and Urban Development has recently announced it’s commitment to tackling the issues of unregistered, and untitled land in Nigeria, currently accounting for about 90 per cent of the nation’s landmass.
This statement was disclosed by Salisu Haiba, the Director Information and Public Relations, on Wednesday.
The ministry intends partnering with the World Bank Group by launching a National Land Registration and Titling Programme, with the aim to successfully unlock over $300bn in dead capital tied to untitled land.
This initiative was revealed following the courtesy visit by the World Bank delegation, led by Vice President of Infrastructure, Guangzhou Chen, to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, on Wednesday.
The programme is aimed at increasing the formalization of land transactions in the country.
Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa said: “This is very important to our government as over 90 per cent of land in our country is unregistered and untitled. Experts estimate a dead capital of over $300bn.”
Mr. Dangiwa further mentioned that the ministry, will be collaborating with the World Bank, as well as State Governments, with plans to register and title all land parcels within five years and also increase the rate of titled land from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next decade.
One of the focal points of the programme is the developing of a National Digital Land Information System.
Mr. Dangiwa, however, explained that this system will be reachable to all stakeholders and will be key in boosting revenues for states through ground rents, taxes, and Certificates of Occupancy.
“We have examples from states who have implemented proper land registration systems using Geographic Information Systems. Kaduna and Nasarawa are two good examples. These states have not only been able to significantly improve land registrations but have also generated huge revenues in the process,” Mr. Dangiwa said.
Furthermore, the Minister also pointed out the potential urban resilience benefits of the initiative, noting that revenues generated from proper land registration could help mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly in vulnerable cities like Maiduguri, where recent flooding displaced more than 200,000 people.
Guangzhe Chen, the World Bank’s Vice President of Infrastructure, expressed the Bank’s support for the initiative, reiterating the importance of sustainable financing mechanisms and urban resilience in Nigeria.
The World Bank delegation also included the Bank’s Country Director, Ndiame Diop, pledged to support Nigeria’s efforts in improving urban planning, land titling, and affordable housing.
“The issue of land registration, which I find worrisome, is one area that requires urgent attention. Having 90 per cent of land unregistered can be an obstacle to development in the sector.”
However, Mr. Diop assured that both teams would fine-tune the outlined priorities into comprehensive programmes to properly navigate the nation’s housing and urban agenda, including offering urban planning technical support and improving the mortgage ecosystem.
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