ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigerian architect and entrepreneur, Arc. Zulkifilu Dalhatu Yahuza, has said Nigeria’s built environment could become a significant source of employment if the country adopts a more deliberate approach to housing and real estate development.
Yahuza, the founder of Hoopoe Architects Limited, said the impact of construction goes far beyond the buildings that eventually emerge from a project.
According to him, every properly planned development can create a chain of economic opportunities involving professionals, skilled workers, businesses and service providers.
“When we develop housing projects properly, we create more than homes,” Yahuza said.
He explained that real estate projects create demand for architects, engineers, artisans, builders, suppliers, transporters, facility managers and numerous other professionals.
“In that sense, every properly planned real estate development has the potential to create a chain of economic opportunities and employment,” he added.
Yahuza believes this relationship between the built environment and employment deserves greater attention as Nigeria deals with a growing population and a large number of young people seeking sustainable livelihoods.
He said the country’s housing challenge should therefore not be viewed only from the perspective of providing accommodation.
Instead, he argued that housing development can also serve as an economic platform capable of stimulating activity across several sectors.
His professional experience has included involvement in institutional, educational, corporate, military and residential developments.
Among the projects associated with his professional work are the National Assembly Service Commission Complex in Abuja, the School for Bilingual Education Programme across the 19 Northern States, the Ja’iz Takaful Insurance Ltd Head Office upgrade in Abuja, the Jaji Military Cantonment Multi-Purpose Hall Project and the ongoing Hoopoe Residence development in Idu, Abuja.
Yahuza said his experience across these projects has reinforced his belief that architecture should be considered as part of a wider development ecosystem.
“As an architect, my responsibility is therefore not just to design beautiful buildings, but to think about how those buildings function within the wider community,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of sustainability in future developments, arguing that communities should be planned around issues such as infrastructure, transportation, energy efficiency, water management, security and residents’ quality of life.
Yahuza said government has an important role to play by creating policies that encourage responsible private-sector investment in housing and urban development.
He also called for greater collaboration between government and private developers to unlock the employment and economic potential of the construction and real estate sectors.
“Nigeria has a huge housing deficit, a rapidly growing population and millions of young people seeking employment,” he said.
“If government creates the right policies and the private sector is encouraged to invest responsibly, architecture and real estate can become major drivers of job creation, economic growth and sustainable urban development.”
For Yahuza, the opportunity is to transform Nigeria’s housing needs into part of a broader economic strategy—one in which the development of communities also creates opportunities for the people who build, service and sustain them.