The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Amal Pepple, has stated that housing delivery would be more efficient if required policies that would enhance the sector were initiated.
She disclosed this at a symposium organised by the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) with the theme: “The Nigerian Local Content Law: Optimising Opportunities for the Professional Quantity Surveyors.’’
She said that government was willing to pass into law such policies that would stimulate investments, efficiency and growth of the country’s economy.
“We are initiating changes in the housing sector of the economy that I believe will have a far more impact because of the nature of the demand for housing and the industries that supply demand. If we initiate and implement required policies in the housing sector, millions of Nigerians will be living in their own homes with functioning infrastructure by the year 2020,” she said.
The minister added that reforms in lands and housing sector would create demands for many professionals.
She also said that creating the right avenue for people to invest in any sector would ensure foreign capital, and therefore urged professionals to upgrade their capacity to deliver.
While delivering the welcome address, the president of NIQS, Agele Alufohai, said the adoption of the Nigerian Local Content Act would boost the financial capacities of indigenous businesses.
Alufohai said the Act was one of the concrete evidence of the potentials of democracy, as it would promote enlightened economic policies and also boost growth.
He said that if implemented in the construction industry, more indigenous companies would get contracts, which would also boost capacity building in the sector.
“This sort of symposium is required, for professionals to properly understand the opportunities and challenges the local content act presents,” he said.