The 2023 Africa International Housing Show (AIHS) is set to provide the platform for Family Homes Fund Limited (FHFL) to host a session of specialists to discuss ways for alternative building solutions that will lead to the advancement of affordable housing provision in Nigeria.
The 2023 Africa International Housing Show (AIHS) is set to provide the platform for Family Homes Fund Limited (FHFL) to host a session of specialists to discuss ways for alternative building solutions that will lead to the advancement of affordable housing provision in Nigeria.
The event which has been themed “Beyond Rhetoric To Homes; Making Housing Happen, aims to provide this platform described as a “a learning session” by its convener, Barr. Festus Adebayo, gathering persons adept with housing development to discuss more on building solutions different from the orthodox ‘bricks and mortar’.
This expected session with the hope of exploring eco-friendly alternative housing solutions, economical to the delivery of housing for low income earners, will comprise panelists drawn across research institutions, university professors, planning, statistics, and other governement and private academic establishments, ideally centred on not just improving the provision of affordable housing but, efficient homes for Nigerians at considerable rates.
Inspired by the need to seek alternative, stable and sustainable ways of solving the country’s perennial housing deficit, through this session, and on the platform of the AIHS, will have the FHFL and other professionals in the built industry contributing to conversations expected to include housing experts across the globe. Some of the key areas to contain debates include green housing, environment and climate change.
While efforts are ongoing to tackle housing challenges, especially with traditional methods, the FHFL hopes for an outcome that will not only result to the supply of more homes, it will promote the use of renewable resources and renewable energy. This is an opportunity to explore faster and efficient methods that would support the housing needs of low-income families across Nigeria.
Picturing the housing state of low-income households in the country, the session is projected to discuss financing options that include how to ensure long term funding for affordable housing development. It also aims at encouraging new technologies that will guarantee energy, water and other efficient use of resources that are necessary for long term sustainability of housing options.
Legendary figure in the country’s built sector, Barr. Adebayo, while commending the FHFL for ‘a timely and important session’, said “it is obvious that the country has a serious housing deficit”.
“We are used to the traditional mode of delivering houses and with the issue of high cost of building materials and sustainability that a kind of home has, it impacts the environment and the materials used, also have impacts on the environment, Adebayo said.
He also believe that the time is now to start engaging the brightest minds on how to transform the country’s housing industry, by providing solutions to critical areas, relying on research.
“If you are aware, there’s an issue of climate change, he continued.
“So, all over the world, there is an urban agenda for buildings to become more efficient and the only way to do that is to look towards alternative building beyond bricks and mortal.
“We need to understand how we can leverage on research and development for alternative buildings. It is difficult to deliver affordable homes if its delivery components are all imported. So, we hope to reach these solutions and empower local research and development for alternative building delivery. We hope to also hear from the prospective beneficiaries, to understand their exact wants in terms of housing types.
“We need to have a way of bringing both experience and knowledge to the table. We would through this session engage scholars from our universities because their studies are a huge factor in the production of alternative materials in Nigeria. We would also hear from other important stakeholders like the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) and NASENI, who are already partners with FHFL on affordable housing delivery.
“Given the current state of things in the country – the removal of fuel subsidy, the increase in prices of building materials, it is time to think outside the box on how we can still meet the demands of affordable housing in Nigeria. So, this will be very useful for participants as it presents an opportunity for learning and partnership”, he stated.
Adebayo, while revealing that the inputs of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), National Population Commision(NPC) will be made use of at the session, also talked about the need for accurate data collation, as it will give a proper dircetion – planning wise, on how to create and channel housing policies. He also called for the empowering of local researchers.
“We will hear from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) – we want to know the figures in Nigeria. What is the poverty ratio? We want to know if people can afford the type of delivery that this would eventually bring.
“We want to also look at people who come with research, what is the angle of research? When you want to do something like this, you need to empower local research. If the materials for delivering alternative buildings are imported, it means that they might be expensive and the homes that are built, people will not be able to afford them, he revealed.
When contacted, the Family Homes Funds said it is making progress, as some of its projects are due for IFC Edge certification – an effective instrument for sustainable progress based on objective, measurable evidence of an organization’s status and progress.
It has so far delivered not less than 15,000 homes for low-income households across the country, with over 84,000 direct and indirect jobs created in the process. It has also, already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) in the area of getting alternative solutions for the delivery of affordable housing.
