AFFORDABLE LIVING, JOBS, SECURITY, EDUCATION, BELONGING, AND GOALS

If the first four prospects are fundamental, the last two are essential

A proposed web publication

Beirut, 23/05/2011 “The starting point for a better world is the belief that it is possible” by Norman Cousins, philosopher and author

“Our Project is not just about “bricks and mortars” and the building of homes, but also about the building of new neighbourhoods and improved quality of life. Neighbourhoods, where families can live closer to employment opportunities, schools, recreation facilities, public transportation and work together to build security and stability in their community”

Extracted from the web site of "The Housing Partnership".

 Copyright © 2004 Home Quest Nigeria Ltd. All rights reserve

4. WHAT are the project guidelines?

4.1 Focus primarily on fulfilling the needs of the end-users, the low-income homebuyers.

The project planners should never forget that the sole objective of this entire enterprise is to enhance the quality of life of the low-income worker in Nigeria and his family. This superior motive must condition and shape the design, the planning and the execution of the project.

The ultimate goal is to succeed in providing the low-income residents of the housing communities with a fuller and healthier life and to give their children access to a better education.

To illustrate the profound impact that an effective affordable housing project can have on people who were previously deprived of decent lodging we quote below the statement of a resident of a low-income housing project in Sidi-Harb, Algeria upon taking possession of his new house:

“ What do get from the project? We can get an official address; we become property owners and can provide an inheritance for our children. Cars can come to our front doors. We are no longer people without a real home and as second-class citizens. We can invite guests home without shame. We can wash properly. husbands and wives can enjoy privacy together, sometimes for the first time in many years.” Mohammed, resident of Sidi-Harb.

4.2 Aim at an affordable price ceiling for the homes.

We have mentioned in another section of the project that we should aim at a target home price that does not exceed the equivalent of twelve thousand US dollars. However, this is a preliminary estimate, and the project initiators should strive to find a housing solution that will cost less than this amount and still provide the appropriate benefits to the residents. The opportunities for cost cutting are innumerable in such a project and should be taken advantage of at every step of the design, planning and execution.Some of the areas where considerable savings can be achieved include the design of the infrastructure, the choice of the appropriate housing system and the building materials that will be used, the proper planning and management of the construction project and a strict control on overhead costs.Important cost saving achievements will be obtained by favoring whenever possible the use of locally manufactured products and employing semi skilled workers who will be provided with adequate on-site training. This subject is elaborated upon in paragraph 4.4.

4.3 Seek Expertise and foster Interaction among the participants.

In our Introduction we emphasized the importance of recruiting fully qualified and experienced professionals to design and plan the project in its minutest details in order to ensure a perfect and economical implementation and ultimately to procure the residents with appropriate housing conditions.

The disciplines that are needed for such a vast enterprise are so diverse and so demanding that only the best experienced and knowledgeable people should be chosen to lead it. It is a well-known fact that projects do not succeed because of the size of their budget but through the quality of the people who take part in them.

Furthermore no project initiator, whether from Nigeria or from overseas, should be allowed to work in a vacuum. Although most parts of the project require expert knowledge and specialization, it is essential that all the initiators should be allowed to comment upon the findings of their colleagues and to contribute their own viewpoint on the subject. This kind of interaction will ultimately lead to a better design, better execution and a product that will best serve its purpose.

Another important feature of our project is that it is essentially based upon an open and dedicated cooperation between the two teams of Nigerian and foreign initiators. Through a tight collaboration between North and South, between developed and developing countries, we aim to bring together the best of both worlds and add the experience and systematic approach of problem solving of the West to the intimate knowledge of the local culture, the living conditions and the aspirations of the Nigerian people.

4.4 Sustain the use of local labor and local resources throughout the construction process.

We have already mentioned in another part of our presentation that we plan to  favor the use of local labor and local resources in the construction process from laying down the foundations and the infrastructure to the finishing of the buildings.

However this goal should not deter us from seeking, in the initial stages of the  execution of a project that is planned to last ten years, the best and the most  economical materials available abroad.

For this purpose the project initiators will seek to secure for each operation and  each process the most appropriate types of building materials and equipment. At  the same time they will make it clear to the foreign suppliers that they must plan to  manufacture in the future these products in Nigeria, and preferably in the factory  parks that will be built near the residential settlements.

This action will serve multiple purposes, among which to foster the development of  the factory parks, increase labor opportunities, reduce costs, and promote the  progress of industry and technical knowledge in Nigeria.

The labor on the construction sites should consist of semi-skilled workmen and  technicians who will receive on the job training from qualified instructors. The  structuring of the construction process should allow for this transitional progress.

Furthermore it is planned to introduce in the selling contract of the properties a  clause requiring the low-income buyers to work for a period varying from six  months to a year on the construction site before being allowed to apply to  purchase their homes. This will have the desirable effect of instilling in the low- income residents a closer bonding to their property.

4.5 Promote actively the development of the factory parks.

As mentioned on many occasions in this presentation, the factory parks  development is considered as the linchpin of the entire project.

In fact, should the industrialization program, God forbid, eventually falter it may cause the entire affordable housing project to collapse. This is understandable  because if the factories fail, the owners will not be able to keep their employees  who will consequently be deprived of their revenue and will be unable to meet their  installment purchase payment obligations.

It is a well-known fact that an affordable housing project does not end with the  construction of the houses but by the full redemption of the loan contracted to  execute it. In other words, only when all the homebuyers have fully acquitted  themselves of the payment of their homes, can the project be considered as  having truly reached its objective.

Consequently it is of paramount importance to very carefully organize the entire  industrialization program of the factory parks. This is why the Project Initiators  include among their members an Industrial Engineer and a Marketing Specialist.

The former will be in charge of providing the Architect and the Construction  Engineer with his specialized knowledge of building and equipment layout.  Subsequently he will devote all his attention to studying with the future factory

Owners/Managers the Organization and the Management systems of the individual  enterprises.

As for the latter his responsibility will be no less great. His job will be to organize a  market research of the manufacturing opportunities in Nigeria, call upon the local  entrepreneurs to participate actively in the project, and synchronize with them the  installation of their marketing operations. Through the foreign initiator the  development company will seek to encourage an identical involvement from  overseas manufacturers to acquire and run some of the factory units in the parks.  Such programs were rapidly adopted and implemented in Egypt, the Dominican

Republic or Mexico and it is expected that Nigeria will not be different in this  respect.

The Industrial Engineer and the Marketing Specialist will seek further support and  advice in their task from experts in the Nigerian Government, such as the Ministry  of Industry and the Export Promotion Council and from  International Organizations.  The latter’s assistance is developed in the next chapter.

4.6 Seek international support for the project.

The committee for better housing conditions in Nigeria has already identified a  number of International Institutions with wide experience in the domain of  affordable housing ready to provide their precious knowledge to the project and  assist each of the project initiators in fulfilling their respective tasks. These  mentors will prove invaluable for the success of the project because they will pin  point to the Development Company the mistakes to avoid and indicate the best  method of approach to problem solving derived from their own unique experience.  It goes without saying that all efforts should be made to secure this valuable  guidance. The foreign initiators are best placed to seek and connect with these  institutions and individuals.

On the other hand, one of the major objectives of the project is to secure  international funding, The Foreign Finance specialist will devote all his efforts to  seek the various institutions that we have listed in chapter 5.1 (How to seek

financing for the Project). Having established contact he will follow-up each case  individually to determine clearly the requirements of each individual fund provider  and comply with them as closely as possible. For this purpose he will use his  specialized knowledge and experience and will coordinate his action with his  Nigerian counterpart who will also strive to reach similar goals in the local financing  market.

The Foreign and Nigerian finance specialists will seek guidance in their tasks from  foreign institutions and individuals. The mere fact that such reputed institutions are  taking an interest in the project will influence favorably prospective investors.

A very potent argument to present to would be international lenders or investors is  to stress the globalization of the world economy and how a disaster occurring in  one country is bound to affect all the others in the long run. Rwanda, Sierra  Leone, the Sudan, and the Ivory Coast are vivid examples of what happens when  nothing is done to improve the lot of the poorest segments of the population.  As we mentioned in our introduction the gap between the demand and the supply of  affordable housing in Nigeria has reached gigantic proportions. If left to grow unchecked it may be the source of great social and political disturbances.  Premises of such events have already been manifest in the East and the North of  the country. The Federal and the State Authorities are called upon to actively  support the developers of this affordable housing project bearing in mind that, as  the adage goes: ”an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of remedy”.