Abuja – January 25, 2024 – Viewpoint Housing News.
In an effort to assist internally displaced people (IDPs) in the Northeast relocate from temporary shelters to more permanent homes, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced that it is collaborating with the Federal Government and a few states.
Mr. Laurent Boeck, the IOM’s Chief of Mission to Nigeria, revealed this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday,
IOM stated that the zone is the initiative’s primary emphasis under the “Home after Crisis” banner, but it aims to eventually broaden the initiative’s reach to include other regions of the nation.
We are introducing a concept that represents a shift in perspective. Using the beneficiaries, he added, humanitarian actors should alter the way they operate to shift recipients from emergency shelter or temporary accommodation to something more permanent.
In order to help the IDPs transition from reliance on humanitarian aid to self-sufficiency, he stated that IOM and its partners will teach them how to construct their own homes using materials that are primarily acquired locally.
Additionally, he mentioned that IOM has relocated over 9,000 former internally displaced individuals to many Northeastern states.
As a result, the UN agency said that it has assembled a group of designers, architects, and engineers who can promote innovation and offer a variety of possibilities for the future for its Housing Design Competition Awards Ceremony, which will take place on Friday in Abuja.
The National Humanitarian Fund (NHF) provided financing for IOM to host the first-ever house design competition, Nigeria: Home After Crisis. This competition’s main goal was to get local and international design communities involved in creating affordable, modular, and incremental housing options for vulnerable families and displaced individuals living in northeastern Nigerian rural regions.
We are happy to announce that the competition attracted an incredible amount of entries, with more than 250 design suggestions coming from more than 1600 designers, architects, and engineers in more than 100 countries. Notably, Nigeria accounted for 23% of the participants, and the $5000 award winner is also from Nigeria, according to IOM.
According to De Boeck, there has been a remarkable housing crisis in the northeast of Nigeria as a result of the region’s rising levels of violence since 2015.
“As of 2023, an estimated 3.5 million individuals were either homeless or living in unstable circumstances. There is a severe housing shortage in Nigeria right now—an estimated 23 million—which means that one million new homes must be built every year for the next 20 years.
“At IOM, we pledge to assist Nigeria’s government and populace in raising the present private sector house development output pace. IOM Nigeria is actively attempting to solve the housing crisis with a sustainable housing plan in order to address this. The goal is to embrace the idea of giving a home rather than just dwelling units.
A component of this initiative is the Nigerian Humanitarian Fund (NHF)-funded ‘Home After Crisis’ design competition for 2023.
The housing shortage caused by Nigeria’s quickly expanding population is the focus of the housing competition. Their objective is to provide people access to reasonably priced home that is constructed using locally sourced materials and is climate-proof.
The housing competition opens the door for global participation in tackling these issues. They offer a path for combining humanitarian relief efforts with development initiatives. Above all, it is vital that it guarantees that nobody is left behind when we move away from emergencies where conditions and safety are favourable.
It gives displaced people a place to live that blends in with their surroundings and gives them the foundation they need to get involved in regional and national development initiatives. Respecting culture and the social fabric creates a safe haven where communities coexist peacefully, bridging generations and fostering interpersonal interaction. He said.
