Nigeria: Abuja’s Housing Crisis – Why Affordable Homes Stay Out of Reach for Low Paid Workers

Abuja, Nigeria’s federal capital city, has witnessed remarkable urban growth since its development in the 1980s. The city’s population has increased from 776,298 in 2006 to an estimated 2,057,985 in 2026.

A serious housing crisis has developed: high rents and developments focused on luxury force lower income earners into peripheral settlements.

Over the decades the city’s authorities have taken steps to address the challenge. They have followed national housing policies and encouraged private…