The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has announced its commitment to addressing the issue of unregistered and untitled land in Nigeria, which currently accounts for 90 per cent of the nation’s landmass.

The Director Information and Public Relations, Salisu Haiba, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

The ministry, in partnership with the World Bank Group, aims to unlock over $300bn in dead capital tied to untitled land, by launching a National Land Registration and Titling Programme.

This initiative was disclosed following a courtesy visit by the World Bank delegation, led by Vice President of Infrastructure, Guangzhou Chen, to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, on Wednesday.

The programme is expected to increase the formalization of land transactions.

“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 $300bn,” said Dangiwa.

He further added that the ministry, in collaboration with the World Bank and state governments, plans to register and title all land parcels within five years and increase the rate of titled land from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent in the next decade.

One of the critical components of the programme is the development of a National Digital Land Information System.

Dangiwa explained that this system will be accessible to all stakeholders and will be key in boosting states’ revenue through ground rent, Certificates of Occupancy, and taxes.

“We have examples from states who have implemented proper land registration systems using Geographic Information Systems. 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,” he said.

The minister also highlighted the potential urban resilience benefits of the initiative, noting that revenues generated from proper land registration could help mitigate the effects of climate change, particularly in vulnerable cities like Maiduguri, where recent flooding displaced more than 200,000 people.

The World Bank’s Vice President of Infrastructure Guangzhe Chen, expressed the Bank’s support for the initiative, emphasising the importance of sustainable financing mechanisms and urban resilience in Nigeria.

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

The World Bank delegation also included the Bank’s Country Director, Ndiame Diop, who pledged to support Nigeria’s efforts in improving land titling, affordable housing, and urban planning.

“The issue of land registration, which I find worrisome, is one area that requires urgent attention. Having 90 per cent of land unregistered can be an obstacle to development in the sector,” Diop said.

Diop further assured that both teams would fine-tune the outlined priorities into comprehensive programmes to drive the nation’s housing and urban agenda, including improving the mortgage ecosystem and offering urban planning technical support.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, closed the session by seeking the World Bank’s support in building the capacity of new ministry staff, as many experienced personnel were retiring.