The Katsina State Government, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has commissioned a series of development projects aimed at strengthening climate resilience, promoting peace, restoring livelihoods and supporting internally displaced persons across the state.

The projects include 152 housing units for internally displaced persons (IDPs), a Climate Peace Hub, a rehabilitated cattle market and a solar mini-grid energy system designed to expand access to clean and reliable electricity.

The interventions were unveiled during a commissioning ceremony attended by government officials, development partners, traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations, youth and women groups, private sector representatives and members of the media.

Speaking at the event, Governor Dikko Umar Radda reaffirmed the state’s commitment to working with development partners to address insecurity, climate challenges and economic vulnerability.

“Katsina State stands ready to deepen that partnership. We will continue to work hand in hand with UNDP, GIZ, the Norwegian Government and every partner committed to human dignity to address the underlying drivers of insecurity, expand livelihoods, build climate resilience and empower our women and youth,” the governor said.

The projects are being implemented under UNDP’s integrated development framework, which combines peacebuilding, climate resilience, governance, energy access and economic recovery initiatives to deliver sustainable development outcomes.

The Mass Housing Project, delivered under the Prevention Facility Project, provides permanent housing solutions for vulnerable and conflict-affected families, helping to improve living conditions and support community recovery.

Speaking during the commissioning, UNDP Nigeria Resident Representative, Elsie G. Attafuah, said the investments were designed to address the root causes of instability while creating opportunities for affected communities.

“The 152 housing units provide more than shelter. They provide dignity, stability and a place that families can once again call home. The rehabilitated cattle market and veterinary clinic help restore livelihoods and support local economic activity,” she said.

Attafuah added that the Climate Peace Hub would serve as a platform for climate-security coordination, conflict prevention, early warning systems and community engagement.

According to her, the facility will also provide women and youths with opportunities to acquire green skills in renewable energy and climate-smart solutions, preparing them for emerging opportunities in the green economy.

The initiative is supported by the governments of Germany and Norway, which have partnered with UNDP to advance climate security and resilience-building programmes in Northwest Nigeria.

Also speaking at the event, Annett Günther commended the Katsina State Government for its commitment to sustainable development and resilience-building efforts.

The solar mini-grid project, implemented under the Global Environment Facility (GEF) programme, is expected to provide electricity to homes, schools, healthcare facilities and businesses in underserved communities.

Representing the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Dr. Bala Tyoden said the initiative would enhance economic activities and improve living standards in beneficiary communities.

He noted that the Africa Minigrid Programme demonstrates how clean energy can support businesses, create jobs and improve quality of life while promoting climate-resilient development.

The Katsina State Government and its partners expressed optimism that the integrated investments would strengthen social cohesion, improve livelihoods and create sustainable pathways for peace and prosperity across the state.

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Solap Signature Properties Limited has officially unveiled its Beryl Housing Project in Guzape, marking a significant step toward expanding access to quality housing through a strategic partnership with the Nigeria Police Force.

The unveiling ceremony, held on Saturday at the project site, attracted key stakeholders in the housing sector, government representatives, and industry players, underscoring growing collaboration between the public and private sectors in addressing Nigeria’s housing challenges.

Speaking at the event, the Group Managing Director of Solap Group, Paul Akosu, described real estate as more than just an investment, noting that it remains a dependable pathway to wealth creation when approached strategically. He reaffirmed the company’s commitment to delivering the project with professionalism while opening up opportunities for investors and prospective homeowners.

Akosu also emphasized the company’s focus on affordability, stating that its housing portfolio is structured to cater to various income levels, with the aim of making decent housing accessible to a broader segment of Nigerians.

In his remarks, Babatunde Bernard, Special Adviser on Technical to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, called on private developers to deepen partnerships with government institutions. He noted that such collaborations are critical to tackling Nigeria’s housing deficit and improving affordability nationwide. He added that the Federal Government remains committed to ensuring that housing is accessible, affordable, and secure for all citizens.

A representative of the Nigeria Police Force described the initiative as a strategic joint venture that would significantly improve housing availability for police personnel, while also strengthening community security.

Guests at the event commended the initiative, highlighting the importance of supporting emerging developers and encouraging young professionals who are shaping the future of Nigeria’s real estate sector.

The Beryl Housing Project comprises a mix of two-bedroom flats and four-bedroom apartments with boys’ quarters, alongside essential infrastructure including a dedicated police post. The development is designed to promote secure, inclusive, and community-oriented living.

The project adds to ongoing efforts by private developers to bridge Nigeria’s housing gap while creating investment opportunities within the real estate sector.

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The Katsina State Government has clarified details surrounding the ₦155 billion agro-residential housing project planned for Kankia and Charanchi Local Government Areas, insisting that the initiative will deliver affordable housing, employment, and sustainable agricultural livelihoods for residents across the state.

Addressing growing public interest in the project, the Head of Service, Alhaji Falalu Bawale, said the programme is structured as a self-financing development model that places no direct financial burden on the state government.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday at the State Secretariat Complex in Katsina, Bawale explained that the project, being implemented in partnership with COSMOS Residential City Nigeria Limited, combines housing development with agriculture and aquaculture to ensure long-term economic sustainability.

How the project will work

Under the agreement, the Katsina State Government will provide land and guarantees, while the private consultant will finance, construct, and manage the project. According to Bawale, the consultant will recover its investment through the sale of agricultural produce generated within the housing estates.

“The project is a game-changer. The consultant recovers its investment from agricultural output, not from state funds,” he said.

Participants selected for the programme will undergo training in agriculture and aquaculture and will receive a monthly stipend of ₦200,000 during the implementation phase.

Bawale added that beneficiaries will be drawn from all 34 local government areas of the state, ensuring broad inclusion and equitable access to the programme.

Housing and agriculture combined

The project follows the signing of a ₦155 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Katsina State Government and COSMOS Residential City Nigeria Limited on January 22, 2026.

Under the agreement, 2,500 housing units will be constructed in Kankia Local Government Area, while 1,000 units will be developed in Radda community, Charanchi Local Government Area, bringing the total to 3,500 homes.

Governor Dikko Radda, while signing the MoU at the Government House in Katsina, described the initiative as an innovative agro-residential model designed to address housing shortages, unemployment, and food security simultaneously.

Each housing unit will feature backyard fish farming and vegetable gardens, enabling residents to generate income while meeting household food needs.

Economic impact and youth empowerment

The General Manager of the Katsina State Housing Authority, Aliyu Kurfi, praised the project, noting that it would create thousands of jobs, particularly for young people.

He also commended Governor Radda and the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Dangiwa, for supporting a model that blends housing delivery with economic empowerment.

According to the state government, beneficiaries will include unemployed youths and low-income households, including individuals without formal education but with practical farming or vocational skills.

Ownership structure and savings plan

Governor Radda explained that participants are expected to earn up to ₦200,000 monthly, from which they will make mandatory savings of between ₦50,000 and ₦70,000.

These savings will gradually offset investors’ costs, after which beneficiaries will gain full ownership of both the houses and farm assets within three to five years.

“This approach ensures dignity, ownership, and sustainability, rather than dependency,” the governor said.

Project timeline

The governor disclosed that land for the project has already been allocated in both Kankia and Radda communities, while COSMOS Residential City Nigeria Limited has committed to mobilising to site within 10 days.

Construction is expected to be completed within 16 months to two years, subject to weather and logistical conditions.

State officials say the initiative aligns with Katsina’s broader development strategy focused on housing delivery, youth employment, and agricultural productivity.

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The initiative, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is a collaboration between the Federal and Kwara State governments to expand access to quality and affordable housing for Nigerians.

Kwara State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Segun Ogunsola, led the inspection tour alongside technical experts from the ministry and the Kwara Geographical Information Service. The team engaged with traditional rulers and local stakeholders in the designated areas, describing the exercise as a critical implementation phase of the national housing drive.

According to a statement by the ministry’s Press Secretary, Kunle Gbadeyan, Ogunsola expressed appreciation for the cooperation of local communities and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to improving citizens’ lives through infrastructure and shelter.

“This project will directly benefit the people and significantly improve housing access in Kwara,” the commissioner stated during visits to communities in Ajase Ipo, Erin Ile, Offa, Oke Onigbin, Ekan Meje, and Osi, spanning Irepodun, Oyun, Offa, Isin, Oke Ero, and Ekiti LGAs.

Earlier visits were also made to Kaiama and Baruten LGAs. At the Emir of Kaiama’s palace, Ogunsola assured residents that the housing scheme would help close the housing deficit in the area. The Emir, represented by Waziri Kaiama, Alhaji Adamu Gene, commended Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s efforts in driving development across the state.

In Ilesha-Baruba, the commissioner was received by the Emir, Prof. Halidu Abubakar, who welcomed the project, noting that it would complement ongoing development in the town, including the recently completed Kwara State University campus.

Community leaders across the selected areas expressed support for the project while calling for increased engagement of local businesses in its execution to enhance grassroots economic impact.

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According to intelligence sources, the terrorists entered the village under the cover of darkness and focused their assault on structures meant to house families returning to the region after years of displacement caused by insurgency.

Zagazola Makama, a security analyst reported that this marked the third attack on the facility within a month, with two prior assaults involving Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Makama said the housing project in Dalwa was a key component of the Borno State government’s strategy to restore normalcy and resettle communities affected by years of insurgency.

“However, the repeated attacks highlight the persistent security challenges in the region, as Boko Haram continues to target efforts aimed at rebuilding and stabilising the area”, he added.

The attacks have raised concerns about the safety of resettlement initiatives and the resilience of communities struggling to rebuild their lives.

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The Department of Human Settlements (DHS) in South Africa is wrestling with an overwhelming predicament: a staggering number of incomplete and blocked housing projects. Despite the rollout of the ‘National Unblocking Program’ in 2021, an initiative designed to breathe life into these stagnant projects, a colossal 3,445 of them remain blocked or incomplete across the country.

In some regions, residents have been left waiting for housing promises to be fulfilled for up to a quarter of a century.

READ ALSO: Tanzania- Low cost Of housing in limbo amid high cost of building materials

Financial Consequences and Corruption

The issue of blocked projects, characterized by zero progress for at least 12 months after initial payments, has resulted in substantial financial losses for the state, potentially escalating into billions of rands. The crisis is particularly acute in the Free State province, home to 770 blocked projects. Corruption has been cited as a plausible contributing factor to this predicament, prompting Mmamoloko Kubayi, the Minister at the helm of the DHS, to call for an investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in March 2022.

Funding Allocations and the Role of Construction Mafia

For the 2023/24 financial year, the DHS has earmarked significant funds for provincial and municipal grants, a strategic move to counteract these issues. However, legal experts suggest that the so-called construction mafia, notorious for inflating costs and causing delays, plays a significant role in these project impediments. This organized crime group is also implicated in infrastructure damage and investment loss.

Signs of Progress despite the Crisis

On a brighter note, Sihle Zikalala, the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, has reported the completion of R21.4 billion worth of projects for human settlements and road structures. Furthermore, the DHS has successfully unblocked 320 projects. These positive developments, although dwarfed by the scale of the problem, signal a momentum that could potentially turn the tide in this housing crisis.

Source: Bnnbreaking

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Investigation revealed that building materials, equipment and other components critical to the built industry and delivery of infrastructural projects are rapidly witnessing price surge almost on a daily basis, a development that is causing rifts between real estate project owners and contractors. 

It was learnt that there has been noticeable wide margins in the quotation prices at the point of consummating a building project and the market price during execution of such projects, a cost that most developers do not want to bear but would rather pass the differential cost back to the project owners. 

Hence, there have been back and forth renegotiations of real estate projects, which slow down pace of work and prolong the delivery dates of such projects, it was learnt. 

This only affects ongoing projects, it is equally hiking rentage of houses and offices in urban areas of the country. 

In recent times, cement, sand, aluminum materials, roofing materials, among other building components are witnessing continuous price increase almost on a daily basis, affecting the appropriate costing of housing projects in the country.    

To this end, sundry players in the real estate sector have expressed concern as property developers, contractors and construction business experts are grappling with the challenges of re-pricing contracts by evaluating cost and drawing out different quotation plan to enable them tackle market inflation of building reinforcements.

The sector is confronting precarious free fall of the naira and surging inflation, both of which have combined to disrupt commercial projects and, by extension, their delivery timelines.

Most groundbreaking projects have deferred delivery dates, such that contractors have speculated that they can’t deliver on the project due to surrounding cost of running construction companies.

“Most project sites are quiet, and everybody has adopted a wait-and-see attitude to construction. We have seen about 35 per cent increase in the cost of construction and, to cap it up, we see contract default from both sides of the contract,” Principal Partner,  C23 Consulting Limited, Damola Akindolire, said.

According to him, developers are busily evaluating and re-pricing projects, and those that can be continued are being continued while those that cannot are being dropped, adding that inflation has impacted project delivery by 30-40 per cent while house prices are expected to go up 40—50 per cent in the short- and medium term.

Housing development in the country, he stressed, depends 70 per cent on imports, especially finishing materials, meaning that most projects which used N700/$ as benchmark, for instance, will have to delay given the current exchange rate of N850 and N900 to the dollar.

The inflation rate has been on a steep rise since the beginning of this year, peaking at 24.08 per cent in July, according to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), up from 22.79 per cent in June.

This, according to market observers, explains why, for several months, there has been a persistent increase in the price of cement and other building components, such as blocks and rings, in the building materials market. Also, prices of paint, reinforcement and sanitary fittings, sand, roofing sheet, tiles, and granite have increased by over 70 per cent.

Though this delay in project delivery squeezes developers, especially, those exposed to bank credits whose interests are running while the projects are stagnant, it has a broader negative impact on the market. This is because while supply is shrinking, demand is increasing, increasing sales and rent.

Experts estimate that, across the board, the market has seen about 40 per cent increase in sales and rents in the first half of the year up to the present moment. 

Taming Rising Inflation Rate

Confirming the development, the CEO of Knight Frank Nigeria, Frank Okosun, said: “We have seen a sharp rise in house prices to about 40 per cent due to inflation, both for sales and leases. Newly built properties reflect the increase due to the spike in inflation.”

Okosun stated further that, on the supply side, market uncertainty, coupled with the rising cost of goods, has made stakeholders adopt a wait-and-hold strategy, leading to a slowdown, especially, for capital-intensive projects, which have left the capital to find its place in the market, for capital-efficient projects.

LEADERSHIP’s findings show that in Lagos, house rent has gone up in all the market nodes, affecting both new and old buildings. This is why a mini-flat (a room and parlour self-contained) in a Lagos community that used to go for N400,000 yearly has risen to N600,000.

Ayo Famakinwa, a civil servant who lives in Ojodu Berger, a Lagos suburb, told LEADERSHIP that rent for a three-bedroom flat has increased from N800,000 to N1.3 million per annum. In contrast, a two-bedroom apartment in Egbeda, another suburb, now goes for N800,000, up from N450,000 a year ago.

In highbrow areas, Lekki Phase 1, a one-bedroom flat, which used to rent for between N800,000 and N2 million, now goes for N1.5 million and N3 million. In contrast, a three-bedroom apartment currently rents for between N6 million and ₦8 million per year from N4 million and N7 million.

Other cities are also affected by the rent increases. In Delta State,  two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments in DDP phase 1 has increased from N700,000 to N1.5 million and N2.5 million to N3 million, respectively.

In Abuja, the federal capital territory, a 3/4-bedroom terrace house in Wuse that used to command N4 million as of 2020-2021 now goes for N6-7 million or more. The detached 4/5-bedroom house in Maitama costs N10-N15 million, but now landlords demand as high as N25-N30 million.

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