Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to promoting sustainable urbanisation to achieve the set goals and objectives of the New Urban Agenda.
The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Malam Mu’azu Sambo, gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in New York.
Sambo spoke to NAN after attending a high-level meeting to assess the progress of the implementation of the New Urban Agenda at UN headquarters.
The New Urban Agenda presents a shared global vision for how to build, manage, and live in cities, through urbanisation that is well-planned and well-managed.
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It was adopted a year after countries agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the blueprint for a better future, for people and the planet, by 2030.
The minister said the position of Nigeria at the meeting was in alignment with that of Africa group and G77 plus China.
“My delegation reaffirms Nigeria’s commitment to promoting sustainable urban development as a critical step to realising sustainable development.
“To realise sustainable development in an integrated and coordinated manner at the global, regional, national, subnational and local levels, with the participation of all relevant actors,” he said.
The minister told NAN that the outcome of the assessment from the meeting would be presented at the World Urban Forum in June.
Earlier at the meeting, Sambo said Nigeria was committed to African resolve for a common position on the global debate for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
He said the country was committed given the importance of the New Urban Agenda to the global challenges, especially in urban areas, which had been epicentres of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The issues of promotion of affordable housing, urban resilience, climate action, inclusive planning, basic services provision and urban planning for economic development have become more paramount to the Nigerian Government,” Sambo said.
According to him, Nigeria has the fastest growing information and communication technology market in Africa.
“It has been made a priority policy to inculcate the use of e-governance for service delivery throughout the three tiers of government in the country.
“This will further ensure that our cities and human settlements utilise geo-spatial tools for capacity building in land administration nationwide,” he said.
In addition, Sambo said the National Urban Development Policy of Nigeria, which provided for promoting a dynamic system of cities in the country, was being reviewed to align with the New Urban Agenda.
He said positive steps were taken to support investment in urban development projects, adding that the incidence of slum proliferation would further be tackled more than it used to be.
“We are going to encourage the use of geophysical information system for land use planning, risk and disaster management, development control, traffic management, among others,” the minister said.
Sambo said multiple methods of ensuring the participation in urban or other development planning at the local level would further be explored and encouraged.
He said mobilisation of financial resources, development of financing frameworks for implementing the New Urban Agenda at all levels of government would be given priority and accelerated approval.
NAN reports that Sambo had hosted ministers of Works and Housing from African countries to review the implementation of the agenda in the region before the High-Level Meeting. (NAN)
