The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has commended the worsening housing affordability crisis in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Its call for an urgent affordable housing strategy that ensures that the types and prices of houses being supplied reflects the actual incomes of Abuja residents.
The warning is contained in a special housing market report titled: “Abuja Housing Crisis 2026: 1.7 Million Housing Deficit Amid Rapid Population Growth, Rising Rents and Empty Homes,” prepared by the Research & Economic Unit of HDAN.
The report said Abuja/FCT is facing an estimated 1.7 million-unit housing deficit, driven by rapid population growth, rising rents, inadequate affordable housing supply, infrastructure challenges, limited access to housing finance and a growing mismatch between the houses being developed and the purchasing power of residents.
It added that Abuja is increasingly confronted by a serious housing contradiction.
While millions of residents need decent and affordable accommodation, a significant number of completed properties, particularly in the upper-end and luxury segments, remain beyond the financial reach of the majority of residents and are therefore under-occupied, it noted.
HDAN stressed that Abuja’s housing crisis can no longer be viewed simply as a shortage of buildings.
“Abuja’s housing problem is not only about how many houses are being built. The fundamental issue is whether the houses being delivered are affordable, accessible, appropriately located and suitable for the people who actually need them,” it stated.
According to the network, civil servants, young professionals, informal-sector workers and low- to middle-income households are increasingly finding it difficult to secure decent accommodation within reasonable distance of their workplaces.
HDAN identified high land prices, infrastructure costs, expensive building materials, rising construction costs, limited mortgage accessibility and the concentration of development in higher-income market segments as major factors pushing homeownership beyond the reach of many Abuja residents.
The pressure is equally evident in the rental market, where rising rents are forcing many households to relocate farther from central Abuja in search of cheaper accommodation.
HDAN warned that this trend has wider economic consequences. Workers who are pushed farther away from employment centres spend more money and time on transportation, while satellite communities experience increasing pressure on roads, transportation systems and other public infrastructure.
It further warned that failure to substantially increase affordable formal housing could accelerate the growth of informal settlements as lower-income households search for accommodation within their financial means.
HDAN called on the Federal Capital Territory Administration, relevant federal housing institutions, financial institutions, developers and other stakeholders to develop an urgent FCT Affordable Housing Strategy based on credible housing data, household income and effective demand.
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