Nigeria, World Bank see $300bn trapped in unregistered land titles 

Business a.m.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the World Bank Group have pledged to tackle the 90 percent of unregistered and untitled land in Nigeria. 

With an eye toward leveraging the country’s vast land resources to unleash over $300 billion in unrealised economic potential, the ministry is hoping to transform the land into viable economic assets by addressing the longstanding issue of land documentation. The strategy, officials say, could be a game-changer in the nation’s development trajectory.

The two parties reached the agreement following a meeting held in Abuja between Ahmed Dangiwa,  the minister of housing and urban development, and a delegation of the World Bank led by Guangzhe Chen, vice president for infrastructure.

Among the areas identified for collaboration was the National Land Registration and Titling Programme, which would enlist the support of state governments to implement a countrywide land registry initiative that would transform untapped land resources into an economic powerhouse, driving growth and development.

The minister remarked: “This is very important to our government as over 90 per cent of land in our country is unregistered and untitled. Experts estimate a dead capital of over $300 billion.

“Through this initiative that we plan to implement with the World Bank, we aim to, amongst other objectives, register, document and title all land parcels within five years; develop and launch a National Digital Land Information System (NDLIS) and define a framework that makes it accessible to all stakeholders.

“We will further increase the formalisation of land transactions from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next 10 years and train and deploy technically competent land registration officers nationwide.” 

Minister Dangiwa highlighted the potential economic benefits of the National Land Registration and Titling Programme for the Nigerian states, stating that this initiative would provide a new source of revenue that could be used to improve urban services and mitigate the effects of climate change.

According to him, “We have examples from states which have implemented proper land registration systems using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Kaduna and Nasarawa are two good examples. These states have not only been able to significantly improve land registrations, but have also generated huge revenues in the process.”

Dangiwa placed the urgent issue of urban liveability at the forefront of the agenda, citing it as a shared concern between the Nigerian government and the World Bank. He also noted that implementation of the approved National Urban Development Policy was a key priority of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Highlighting the urgent need to establish efficient frameworks for managing Nigeria’s urban areas and enhancing service delivery, Dangiwa acknowledged the critical role of the World Bank’s technical expertise in this endeavour.

He also emphasised the importance of developing a framework to overcome systemic barriers that hinder private investment in affordable housing.

Referring to the devastating flooding in Maiduguri, Borno State that displaced 200,000 people, the minister emphasised the urgent need for investment in urban resilience in light of the accelerating pace of climate change and its devastating impact on many Nigerian cities.

On his part, Guangzhe Chen, the World Bank vice president for Infrastructure, highlighted the focus of his visit to Nigeria, pointing out the need to align the World Bank’s priorities with those of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Chen unveiled the World Bank’s willingness to support Nigeria in various critical areas, including land administration, affordable housing, climate change mitigation, sustainable financing, urban land management, digitisation, amongst others.

“We have developed some models and worked with some countries in West and Central Africa on urban liveability and resilience, and these models can be reviewed and replicated in Nigeria,” he stated.

He further revealed the World Bank’s willingness to provide both financial and technical backing to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to assist the Nigerian government in realising its goals in the housing and urban development sectors.

Ndiame Diop, the World Bank country director for Nigeria, who was also in attendance, reinforced Chen’s commitment by assuring the Nigerian delegation that the World Bank’s team would carefully consider the discussed priorities and work with their Nigerian counterparts to develop a comprehensive set of programmes.