FG Pushes Cooperative Housing Reform, Plans Digital Finance Drive to Tackle Housing Deficit
The Federal Government has announced fresh plans to expand access to affordable housing in Nigeria through cooperative societies, digital finance systems, and strategic public-private partnerships under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, who also oversees Cooperative Affairs, Aliyu Abdullahi, made this known in a statement issued on Thursday.
He explained that the initiative is designed to reposition cooperative societies as key drivers of affordable housing delivery, economic inclusion, and community development across the country.
According to him, cooperatives have remained one of the most effective tools for collective growth and shared prosperity, particularly in helping individuals pool resources to achieve home ownership.
“Cooperatives remain one of the most powerful vehicles for economic inclusion, community mobilisation, self-help development, social solidarity, and shared prosperity,” Abdullahi said.
He added that cooperative housing systems have proven successful in several countries by reducing homelessness, improving access to housing, and supporting urban renewal efforts.
The minister noted that the Federal Government is also working on plans to establish a Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, which would provide dedicated financing for housing schemes, mortgages, infrastructure, and community development projects.
He said the proposed bank would operate under a cooperative ownership model and focus particularly on underserved Nigerians, including workers in the informal sector.
Abdullahi further stressed the importance of digital transformation in the cooperative sector, saying modern housing systems cannot function effectively without strong digital infrastructure.
He assured that cooperative operations across the country would be digitised to improve transparency, strengthen financial management, expand access to credit, and build investor confidence.
The proposed digital platforms, he explained, would also simplify mortgage repayments, improve monitoring of housing projects, and enhance verification of cooperative members.
He added that the housing programme would prioritise vulnerable groups, including women, youths, persons with disabilities, farmers, rural communities, and low-income earners.
Also speaking, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, said cooperative housing remains one of the most realistic solutions to Nigeria’s growing housing deficit.
He noted that technology-driven finance systems would help improve mortgage administration and make housing more accessible across both formal and informal sectors.
In his contribution, the Founder of Nigeria Integrated Social Housing Cooperative Ltd., Saheed Adelakun, called for a shift from the traditional Public-Private Partnership model to a “Public-Private-People Partnership” approach.
He argued that involving intended homeowners directly in housing projects would make homes more affordable and sustainable.
“We need houses that low and middle-income earners can truly afford. Government, developers, cooperatives, and homebuyers must work together,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President of the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Hannatu Mershak, disclosed that the federation currently oversees over 50,000 cooperatives with more than 30 million members nationwide.
She called for stronger collaboration between government, financial institutions, and private investors to address Nigeria’s housing challenges and expand access to decent accommodation.
