The Federal Ministry of Finance and the Niger State Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a large-scale Mass Housing and Agricultural Settlement Project covering 100,000 hectares of land in Niger State.
The agreement was signed on Friday at the Ministry of Finance headquarters in Abuja and will be implemented by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) in partnership with the Niger State Government, under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State for Finance, described the initiative as a practical example of cooperative federalism aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She explained that the project goes beyond housing provision, combining residential development with agricultural productivity to address food security, rural stability, and economic growth, particularly in an agrarian state such as Niger.
According to Uzoka-Anite, the programme is designed as an agricultural settlement framework that will strengthen value chains and improve farmers’ livelihoods. She noted that despite Niger State’s vast agricultural resources, challenges such as insecure settlements, rural-urban migration, and weak infrastructure continue to limit its potential.
The project aims to tackle these issues by developing secure, well-planned housing communities located close to farmlands, storage facilities, processing centres, and markets.
“This MoU sends a clear signal to the investment community that Niger State, working in alignment with the Federal Ministry of Finance and MOFI, is open for credible, well-structured and impact-driven investments,” Uzoka-Anite said.
She added that MOFI will provide expertise in asset optimisation, project structuring, and private capital mobilisation, with an innovative financing model that blends public assets and private investment to ensure transparency, sustainability, and shared risk.
Beyond boosting agricultural output, the minister said the initiative is expected to generate jobs for engineers, builders, artisans, suppliers, and service providers, while stimulating growth in sectors such as cement, steel, agro-processing, logistics, and transportation.
She disclosed that the settlements will prioritise efficient land use, access roads, water solutions, and environmentally responsible building practices to support long-term community development. Uzoka-Anite also urged developers, financial institutions, pension funds, real estate investors, and agribusiness operators to see the project as a scalable model that could be replicated across Niger State and other parts of the country.
In his remarks, Mohammed Umaru Bago, the Niger State Governor, welcomed the partnership, stressing that affordability must be prioritised alongside sustainability. He confirmed that the state would provide the 100,000 hectares of land required for the project, adding that the Certificate of Occupancy would be issued by Monday.
The governor said the initiative could address up to 80 per cent of the challenges constraining agricultural development in the state and also create space for organised grazing reserves for nomadic communities.
Also speaking, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of MOFI, Dr. Armstrong Ume Takang, described the project as a well-structured and viable model that aligns with investor expectations.
The initiative comes at a time the country is grappling with food insecurity, rising rural poverty, and a widening housing deficit. By integrating mass housing with agricultural settlements, the project is expected to stabilise rural communities, improve farm productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, attract youth participation in agriculture, and ease pressure on urban centres.
