Nigeria has renewed calls for investors to take opportunities offered by its $18.5bn Centenary City project in Abuja, business website Nairametrics reports.
Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, minister of housing and urban development, made his remarks after talks with a delegation from Centenary City, the public company leading the programme.
The Centenary City project was begun in 2014 as part of the legacy of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, and a hundred years after the founding of the Nigerian nation-state.
It is being developed by a joint venture between Front Range Developers of the UAE and Centenary City Plc.
The city was billed as a smart city in a special economic zone that would attract global investment, but little progress has so far been made on the ground. Last year, the Senate set up a seven-member committee to find a way to restart the scheme.
Dangiwa floated the idea of setting up public-private partnerships to address the housing deficit and create jobs. He added that his ministry had received expressions of interest from potential investors, and that he wanted more to come forward.
He said: “This government prioritises ensuring that affordable houses are provided to Nigerians while also creating an enabling environment for public-private partnerships to flourish.”
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