FG Moves to Tackle Housing Deficit Through Cooperative Reforms, Digital Finance

By Onwe Wisdom, Pan Afric Reporters

The Federal Government has unveiled plans to drive affordable housing delivery across Nigeria through cooperative reforms, digital finance systems and strategic partnerships aimed at expanding home ownership opportunities for millions of citizens.

The initiative, under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP), was announced by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister for Cooperative Affairs, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, during the 2026 Cooperative Housing Summit Africa (CHOSA) held in Abuja.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and signed by Ezeaja Ikemefuna, Head, Department of Information.

Speaking at the summit themed, “Catalyzing Adequate Housing for All through Cooperatives,” Abdullahi described cooperative societies as critical instruments for economic inclusion, social solidarity and sustainable development.

“Cooperatives remain one of the most powerful vehicles for economic inclusion, community mobilization, self-help development, social solidarity, and shared prosperity,” the minister said.

“Through cooperative housing systems, people can pool resources, reduce costs, improve bargaining power, access financing collectively, and create sustainable pathways to home ownership,” he added.

The minister noted that cooperative housing systems have recorded remarkable success globally in reducing homelessness, strengthening communities and improving access to affordable homes.

According to him, the Federal Government is also proposing the establishment of a Cooperative Bank of Nigeria to provide accessible financing for housing schemes, mortgages, infrastructure projects and community development initiatives.

“The proposed bank would operate under a cooperative ownership structure and focus on underserved Nigerians, especially workers in the informal sector,” he stated.

Abdullahi further stressed the importance of technology and digital infrastructure in modernizing Africa’s cooperative housing ecosystem.

“Africa’s cooperative housing ecosystem cannot operate effectively in the modern era without robust digital infrastructure,” he said.

He explained that the Federal Government plans to digitize cooperative operations nationwide to enhance transparency, improve financial management, boost investor confidence and simplify mortgage repayment systems as well as cooperative member verification.

The minister emphasized that the housing initiative would prioritize inclusiveness, especially for women, youths, persons with disabilities, farmers, low-income earners, rural dwellers and vulnerable groups.

He also urged African governments to strengthen policies that support cooperative financing, simplify land administration procedures and encourage affordable housing investments.

Also speaking at the event, Muttaqha Darma, represented by the Director of Public Buildings and Housing Development, Mr. Samuel Pemi, described cooperative housing as one of the most practical responses to Africa’s housing deficit.

He noted that technology-driven finance would significantly improve mortgage administration and housing accessibility for citizens across both formal and informal sectors.

In his presentation, Founder of Nigeria Integrated Social Housing Cooperative Ltd. (NISH), Dr. Saheed Adelakun, advocated a shift from the traditional Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to what he described as a “Public-Private-People Partnership.”

“We need houses that low and middle-income earners can truly afford. Government, developers, cooperatives and homebuyers must work together,” Adelakun said.

Meanwhile, President of the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN), Mrs. Hannatu Mershak, disclosed that the federation currently supervises more than 50,000 cooperatives with over 30 million members nationwide.

She called on governments, financial institutions and private investors to deepen collaboration with cooperative societies to effectively tackle Nigeria’s housing shortage.