Early Impact of COVID-19 on Private Sector Income Earners Homeownership Delivery in Nigerian Cities: Issues and Possible Solutions

Abstract

Studies showed that the private sector positively influences the country’s economic growth. The Nigerian Government housing policies and programmes tailored towards homeownership may not have favoured the private sector. The COVID-19 crisis might have compounded the issue. There are scarce studies concerning private sector income earners’ (PSIE) homeownership in the COVID-19 era. Therefore, the paper investigated the perceived early negative impacts of COVID-19 on PSIE and proffered measures to improve homeownership across Nigerian cities. Given the unexplored dimension of the issue, a qualitative research method was employed via virtual interviews. Thirty semi-structured virtual interviews were conducted with knowledgeable participants across Nigeria. Each geo-political zone was represented, and saturation was achieved. The researchers collated the data and thematically analysed them. Findings show that housing policies and programmes are pro-public sector homeownership. Also, it reveals that the private sector businesses are worse hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings will offer a rich insight into the influence of COVID-19 on PSIE and contribute towards informing key stakeholders, especially government, to revamp housing policies and programmes towards private sector homeownership in Nigeria’s cities.

Keywords: Housing, 4IR, Greening building

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1002354