Niger State has moved to the centre of Nigeria’s food security and housing reform efforts after offering about 100,000 hectares of land to the Federal Government for an integrated Mass Housing and Agricultural Settlement Project designed to boost productivity, create jobs and drive inclusive economic growth.
The commitment was formalised in Abuja with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Niger State government and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance. Governor Mohammed Umar Bago said the agreement represents a practical step toward delivering the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in food security, mass housing and poverty reduction.
Rather than treating housing and agriculture as separate policy areas, the project deliberately links both. The settlements are planned as farming communities where housing is developed alongside farmland, infrastructure and access to markets. This approach is expected to allow farmers to live close to their farms, improve productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and address insecurity often linked to isolated rural settlements.
The Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, described the initiative as an example of cooperative federalism and strategic alignment between the Federal Government and a subnational government. She said the project goes beyond housing delivery, noting that it is structured as a settlement framework that strengthens agricultural value chains and improves livelihoods.
She explained that Niger State’s agricultural potential has long been constrained by poor infrastructure, insecure settlements and rural-urban migration. By creating well-planned communities with housing, storage, processing and market access, the integrated settlements are expected to stabilise farming populations, improve food output and encourage youth participation in agriculture.
Governor Bago said Niger State was prepared to serve as a pilot for a national model that embeds housing development directly into agricultural communities. He noted that the state’s vast landmass, water resources and growing mechanisation capacity make it well suited for large, contiguous farm estates that support irrigation, agro-processing and efficient logistics.
According to the governor, affordability and sustainability will guide implementation. The settlements are expected to include access roads, schools, healthcare facilities, water systems, renewable energy and grazing reserves, while supporting crop production, livestock and processing activities. He added that similar models had already been tested in resettlement programmes for displaced persons, where families received housing and farmland linked to guaranteed produce offtake arrangements.
For small businesses and local enterprises, the project could unlock significant opportunities. Construction activities alone are expected to create demand for building materials, transport services and skilled labour, while expanded agricultural production will support agro-processors, input suppliers, logistics firms and traders. The clustering of farmers into organised communities is also expected to improve aggregation, quality control and access to finance for agribusinesses.
The Managing Director of MOFI, Armstrong Takang, said the initiative was designed to close the gap between policy and real economic impact by ensuring that housing is directly connected to income-generating activities. He noted that many past housing and energy interventions struggled because beneficiaries lacked sustainable income sources to maintain them.
He explained that the integrated communities would provide farmland, inputs, infrastructure and market access, making housing more affordable and economically viable. Each housing unit, he said, could generate multiple jobs during construction, with additional employment created through farming, processing and allied services.
MOFI is expected to play a central role in structuring the project and mobilising private capital. Uzoka-Anite said the financing model blends public assets with private investment to ensure sustainability, transparency and shared risk, while reducing fiscal pressure on government. She added that the approach allows government to focus on policy coordination and oversight, while leveraging private sector efficiency and scale.
Officials said the Federal Ministry of Finance will provide institutional oversight to ensure the project moves quickly from agreement to execution. If successfully implemented, the Niger State pilot could become a template for other states seeking to tackle housing shortages, food insecurity and rural unemployment through integrated development.
Beyond housing delivery, the initiative reflects a broader shift toward place-based economic planning, where infrastructure, livelihoods and community development are designed together. For Nigeria’s agriculture sector and the MSMEs that depend on it, the project offers a pathway to more stable production, lower operating risks and stronger links between rural communities and the wider economy.
