An Alternative to Squatter Settlements in Addis Ababa

Nigeria has an unprecedented level of housing deficit, which is evident in the presence of slums and squatter settlements in its cities. Abuja, the Nation’s capital, though master planned from inception, is not an exception. The rate of urbanization in Abuja has exceeded the housing stock that was planned for. In the quest to solve this problem of housing shortage, public-private partnership – a housing policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria in consonance with the United Nations’ Agenda 21 – was established. The effort however failed, as the aim of private developers is usually at tangent with that of the government.

To achieve the intended Mass Housing Delivery, incentive zoning (a kind of design control) should be made a requirement for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for it to increase the housing stock while providing sustainable housing for the low and medium income earners. The aim of this paper is to investigate the socio-economic characteristics of squatters, to see the feasibility of PPP housing scheme as an alternative for squatters today with view to make the scheme more responsive. Data for the study were obtained through Questionnaire administration. Questionnaire was distributed amongst respondents in 5 purposively selected squatter settlements in Abuja, and 220 found to be valid. The locations, namely, Sauka (51 respondents), Kuchingoro (51 respondents), Kpeyegi (20 respondents), Kwali (49 respondents) and Karshi (49 respondents), were purposively selected. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive analysis. The result shows that for most squatters the public-private partnership is not any feasible alternative housing at the moment, so the need for incentive zoning.