HDAN raises alarm over Abuja's worsening housing affordability crisis

The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has called for an urgent affordable housing strategy for Abuja that ensures the types and prices of houses being supplied reflect the actual incomes of residents.

The warning is contained in a special housing market report titled "Abuja Housing Crisis 2026: 1.7 Million Housing Deficit Amid Rapid Population Growth, Rising Rents and Empty Homes," prepared by the Research and Economic Unit of HDAN. The report said Abuja and the Federal Capital Territory face an estimated 1.7 million-unit housing deficit, driven by rapid population growth, rising rents, inadequate affordable housing supply, infrastructure challenges and limited access to housing finance.

It added that Abuja is increasingly confronted by a serious housing contradiction, with a significant number of completed properties, particularly in the upper-end and luxury segments, remaining beyond the financial reach of the majority of residents and therefore under-occupied. "Abuja's housing problem is not only about how many houses are being built. The fundamental issue is whether the houses being delivered are affordable, accessible, appropriately located and suitable for the people who actually need them," the network stated.

HDAN identified high land prices, infrastructure costs, expensive building materials, rising construction costs, limited mortgage accessibility and the concentration of development in higher-income market segments as major factors pushing homeownership beyond the reach of many Abuja residents. It warned that failure to substantially increase affordable formal housing could accelerate the growth of informal settlements.

HDAN called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration, relevant federal housing institutions, financial institutions, developers and other stakeholders to develop an urgent FCT Affordable Housing Strategy based on credible housing data, household income and effective demand.