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From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
As part of plans to address the 15 million housing deficit in the country, Federal Government has concluded plans to partner with State of Qatar.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engineer Muttaqha Rabe Darma, disclosed the plans when he received the Qatari State Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Yusuf Bin Ahmed Al-Hail on a courtesy visit.
The minister sought partnership between the two nations in housing delivery, urban renewal and infrastructure projects.
Darma commended the strong bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Qatar, describing it as one that has grown from formal diplomacy into personal bonds between leaders of both countries.
He expressed appreciation to Qatar for its humanitarian interventions across Nigeria, particularly in Katsina, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), including ongoing projects at the University of Abuja.
“We know the relationship between Qatar and Nigeria is a strong one and we appreciate Qatar for extending its hands of charity to many citizens of this country. We thank you for the numerous projects you are doing, including my home state of Katsina, in Kaduna, and here in Abuja,” the minister stated.
The minister noted that the mandate of his ministry goes beyond housing construction to include urban upgrade and slum renewal aimed at improving the living conditions of Nigerians.
“We do not only develop houses, we also do urban upgrade to improve the living conditions of the people. We need about 15 million houses for the vulnerable Nigerians. We therefore wish to extend an invitation to the Government of Qatar and institutions like Qatar Charity and the Qatar Fund for Development to help us close this gap,” he said.
Accordingly, the minister urged Qatari institutions to scale up their interventions from state-level projects to federal-level collaboration with the ministry to achieve its mandate under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Both parties agreed to explore a framework for technical collaboration and investment in affordable housing and urban renewal projects.
Earlier in his remarks, the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Nigeria, H.E. Yusuf Bin Ahmad Al-Hail, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Nigeria, particularly in the housing and urban development sector.
The ambassador noted that Qatar has maintained an embassy in Nigeria since 2004 and has continued to deepen co-operation at both government-to-government and people-to-people levels.
He disclosed that Qatari charity organisations and foundations have been active in Nigeria for over 15 years, executing projects across the country, including three recent projects in Abuja.
In a statement, he highlighted major interventions in education, including a recent project that provided full educational support for over 3,000 girls across different states in partnership with local partners and the United Nations, under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to him, Qatar is ready to support Nigeria with concrete and tangible projects, adding that his embassy remains open for exchange of information and facilitation of visits between both countries.
