Factors Militating Against Effective Private Sector Participation in the Upgrading of Slums and Shanty Towns in Niger State, Nigeria.

Abstract

In rebuilding the built environment, upgrading of slums and shanty towns is one of the main activities. It requires enormous time, skills and resources. Because of this, governments the world over partner with private sector in the upgrading of slums and shanty towns in their domains. This paper examines the factors militating against effective private sector participation in the upgrading of slums and shanty towns in Nigeria with particular focus on Niger State. Data were collected using structured questionnaires based on the target population for the study. The target population for the study comprises private real estate developers, urban planners, building and civil engineering contractors operating in the state. The paper argues that the private sector is yet to participate effectively in the upgrading of slums and shanty towns in Niger State. The paper concludes that this is due to some factors, important of which are inaccessibility to development finance, absence of reliable database on the viability of urban development projects, high cost of services by built environment professionals and lack of government regulatory framework.