The development of our society has reached an unprecedented level, especially due to technological advances and internet, which facilitates access to so many resources in such short time. However, there are still countless people either homeless or living in inhumane conditions. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights estimates there are around 100 million homeless and around 1.5 billion people who lack adequate housing worldwide. Nonetheless, the vast majority of these people falls in one of the three following categories: youth, women or poor.
One of the countries in quick need of securing a decent roof over the heads of the vulnerable is Nigeria. As stated by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), there are almost 70 million Nigerians who are either homeless or improperly housed; this number can be seen as very scary, since the population of Nigeria is around 173 million people and this means that more than a third of the country’s population suffers from this issue. This problem persists even if Nigeria is not one of the poorest countries in Africa in regard to GDP (19/53). The reasons behind the vast rate of homelessness over there are the Boko Haram Insurgency that left at least 2.5 million homeless people but also the inadequate policies in regard to housing. For example, in 2013 more than 30000 people were evicted in Badia East, Lagos in the peak of the rainy season.
After observing the existence of this issue around the world but more specifically in West Africa, IHS organizes a refresher course on “Securing ‘well located’ land for the vulnerable (the poor, women and youth)” between the 24th of October and the 4th of November 2016. The topic is relevant for alumni, professionals and policy makers in the African region and it will be a good opportunity for them to improve their education or to go through their previous knowledge in this matter. We are confident that the knowledge and capabilities that will be obtained in this course will significantly contribute to changing the current status of the housing issue in the West African region and why not, on a global level as well.
Therefore, IHS invites all alumni from Nigeria and the enclosing region to sign up for this course and take part in lectures, workshops, group debates, games, presentations and excursions. The vast diversity of activities provided there will ensure that participants will benefit from (re)learning the theoretical knowledge so they could come up with practical solutions to securing land and housing for the vulnerable. To find out more about the application procedure and requirements, please have a look at the following link:
We are looking forward to receiving your applications and do not hesitate to contact us in case you have any questions!