There is a consensus among housing experts and policy makers that there are not
enough resources for government alone to address growing urban housing challenges
in many developing countries. Consequently, a paradigm shift from government
provision to partnerships between the public and private sectors is advocated. The
study examined the prospects and challenges of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in
housing provision in Ogun State Southwest Nigeria. Data were derived from the
review of official records and interview enquires. Findings show that Public-Private
Partnership in housing in the study area is based on the joint venture approach
between government agencies and corporate commercial private property developers.
So far, attention has been on the provision of housing for high-income earners, while
the challenges of insufficient numbers of housing units and housing affordability
among low-income earners have not been addressed. The key challenges militating
against Public-Private Partnership in housing are inadequate supply of land by
government and housing finance as well as the exclusion of low-income people from
the PPPs. Given the huge housing supply deficit in Ogun State, it is argued that the
future success of PPP is contingent upon addressing these challenges and the
involvement of organizations that represent low-income people in the institutional
framework of the PPPs.