By Jude Njoku

THE 24th session of the UN-Habitat Governing Council ended in Nairobi Kenya, at the weekend, with Nigeria playing a critical role in the effort to build enduring partnerships to tackle the global urbanisation challenge.

Two major partnerships agreements were signed between the UN agency and the Federal and Ondo State Governments. Specifically, the two governments announced contributions totaling USD 5 million to boost the work of the global city agency.

The contribution comprises USD 3 million through the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development aimed at research and strengthening UN-Habitat’s engagement with Habitat Agenda Partners and other non-governmental actors across sub-Saharan Africa. Another 2 million US Dollars from the Ondo State Government will be used to prepare a range of programmes including youth empowerment schemes, slum upgrading, local economic enterprises, and land reform in the State.

The new partnerships enhanced Nigeria’s status among emerging economies supporting UN-Habitat with core funds. The continental initiative, according to the Programme Officer, Urban Development and Advocacy, UN HAPSOMr. Paul Okunlola, is aimed at mobilising and building the capacity of civil society organisations, CSOs and non-governmental agencies towards a New African Urban Agenda which focuses on transformational initiatives and governance, anchored on the core values of transparency and inclusiveness.

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple who led the Nigeria delegation to the meeting signed on behalf of the Federal Government while the UN-Habitat’s Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos signed on behalf of the agency. Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko who participated in the sessions, personally signed the partnership agreement on behalf of his state government.

The partnership seeks to deepen some of the existing initiatives of his government in the areas of human settlements and development. Under the agreement, Ondo State will release to UN-Habitat the contribution of two million US Dollars over a period of three years and assist in mobilising and engaging new partners in the execution of the identified projects.

This novel agreement is undoubtedly a fitting reward for a government which in the last four years, has mainstreamed the issue of human settlement through its numerous urban renewal projects.

Urban renewal projects
It is on record that the Governor has delivered more than 640 community-chosen projects at the rural communities. A visit to the state which prides itself as the “caring heart” shows that Governor Mimiko has turned around the faces of Ondo’s major towns through massive infrastructural developments.

The state government is addressing the needs of its people through programmes that touch and impact on their livelihoods. The Governor who is a winner of UN-Habitat’s Scroll of Honour pledged to further the recognition by aligning the State’s development priorities with the new vision of UN-habitat.

In her remarks Ms. Pepple said:  “The New Urban Agenda recognizes that Africa’s prosperity will be shaped by its cities as the drivers of growth, equity and sustainability. It is expected that the process will contribute to a shared vision for sustainable urban development”.

Also speaking after signing the agreement, Governor Mimiko posited that the agreement will  ensure “that together we are able to transform our vision to reality in the areas of youth employment, urban economic development, urban infrastructure rehabilitation and better land reform management. To us, these areas are strategic and important for both individual development and improved state economic growth.”

Avowed commitment
Mimiko did not pretend that it was going to be easy. But he was confident that with the avowed commitment of his government in the last four years and the possibilities in the collaborative effort with the UN-Habitat, considering its global experience and remarkable achievements, desired results would be achieved.

Dr. Clos, while receiving the two contributions was clearly happy by what he called “the energy and freshness brought in by Nigeria’s move”, and expressed hope that other countries in the global South will follow suit.

Vanguard Homes & Property recalls that African countries have been actively engaged with the urban challenge over the past two decades. Following the African Union’s Decision 29 in 2003, African countries established the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD) in 2005, and have addressed themselves at national levels to the challenge of urban poverty, slums and access to land for development.

This initiative is aimed to strengthen the second and third legs of the engagement with private sector firms and civil society actors as the continent prepares itself to benefit from urbanization.