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Institutional Barriers to Effective Land Use Policy Implementation for Affordable Housing Delivery in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Abuja, Nigeria

Agbatar Grace Mngueshima

Abstract

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, rapid urbanization, persistent poverty and weak land governance institutions have produced chronic deficits in affordable formal housing, particularly in capital cities such as Abuja, Nigeria. This article interrogates how institutional barriers embedded in land-use policy frameworks and implementation practices constrain the supply of affordable housing, using Abuja as an illustrative case within wider regional patterns. Drawing on institutional theory and a narrative synthesis of empirical and policy studies on land administration, planning and housing delivery in Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries, the article advances three core arguments. First, legal and regulatory arrangements, particularly Nigeria’s Land Use Act 1978 and overlapping institutional mandates in Abuja, structurally bias land allocation away from affordable housing. Second, bureaucratic, political, and capacity-related implementation gaps undermine the translation of land-use plans into serviced, developable land for low- and middle-income groups. Third, overcoming these constraints requires deep institutional reform rather than solely project-based housing interventions. The article concludes with policy directions for strengthening land governance, improving inter-agency coordination, and embedding affordability objectives into land-use planning in Abuja and comparable Sub-Saharan African cities.

Keywords

affordable housing; land use policy; institutions; Abuja; Nigeria; Sub-Saharan Africa; land governance

References

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