Connected Development CEO, Malam Hamzat Lawal (left), and Brave Rock MD, Malam Usman Zambuk (right), during the launch of the housing campaign in Abuja.
Connected Development (CODE), Africa’s leading civil society organisation focused on social accountability, has announced a major campaign to ensure every Nigerian has access to affordable housing by 2030.
The campaign, launched in partnership with a real estate firm BraveRock Investment Limited, comes as Nigeria faces a staggering housing deficit estimated between 17 million and 28 million units.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja, CODE’s Chief Executive, Hamzat Lawal, highlighted the urgency of addressing the housing crisis as part of efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 11, which targets access to safe and affordable housing for all by 2030.
“This is a human rights issue. The Nigerian Constitution recognises the right to suitable and adequate shelter, yet millions remain homeless. With just five years to the 2030 SDG deadline, government must accelerate action,” Lawal said.
“According to BusinessDay (2025), Nigeria requires 900,000 new housing units annually to meet demand, but current production lags far behind at about 100,000 units per year, leaving home ownership at a low 25 percent”. Lawal stated
Speaking further CODE Boss, stressed that the Federal Capital Territory alone needs 1.7 million housing units, nearly 10 percent of the national shortfall.
CODE list Root Causes
Lawal identified several root causes, including:
- Rapid urban migration and population growth
- Low mortgage penetration – only 5% of housing finance is accessible to developers
- Absence of a national housing data centre, hindering evidence-based planning
- Land hoarding and bureaucratic bottlenecks
- Inflated construction costs and lack of regulation
Policy Recommendations
CODE called for a multi-pronged approach to close the housing gap:
- Establish a National Housing Data Centre for reliable statistics
- Inclusive land reforms with tax incentives for productive land use
- Affordable housing finance models such as rent-to-own, micro-mortgages, and cooperatives
- Promotion of local building materials and green technologies to reduce costs
- Expansion of public-private partnerships (PPPs) to drive large-scale housing projects
- Integration of civil society in housing delivery monitoring through civic tech platforms
“If we don’t have accurate data, how can we plan, budget, and set realistic policies?” Lawal asked, urging government to scale existing schemes like the Family Home Fund and National Housing Fund with stronger financial backing.
Brave Rock’s Commitment
On his part Managing Director, BraveRock Usman Zambuk, pledged to deepen its role in reducing the housing deficit.
He revealed that Brave Rock has delivered 350 housing units in Abuja, since 2020 and executed projects in Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi, and Gombe.
“Our goal is to do more than double our current output in the next five years. We are expanding to Lagos and strengthening our presence in the northeast,” Zambuk said.
However, he noted that high construction costs, inflated land prices, and limited access to financing remain major obstacles.
“With current inflation, cost of construction materials, most of which are imported, has skyrocketed. Access to project financing attracts interest rates as high as 35%, making affordability almost impossible,” he explained.
Housing Crisis
Zambuk , maintained that Nigeria’s housing crisis is more than an economic challenge; with deep social implications; Rising urban migration, homelessness, and unaffordable rents continue to strain infrastructure, particularly in major cities like Abuja, where informal settlements are on the rise.
CODE and Brave Rock expressed hope that their partnership will set a precedent for sustainable housing development, leveraging Goal 17 of the SDGs, Partnerships for the Goals and to mobilise government, private sector, as well as civil society towards closing the housing gap.
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