International Journal of Research & Review (www.gkpublication.in) 78 Vol.4; Issue: 6; June 2017 International Journal of Research and Review www.ijrrjournal.com E-ISSN: 2349-9788; P-ISSN: 2454-2237 Original Research Article The Function of Private Sector in the Provision of Decent Accommodation to General Public in Lafia Metropolis Aliyu Ahmad Aliyu, Mohammed Alfazazi Okugya, Samirah Ibrahim Jibril Department of Estate Management and Valuation, Faculty of Environmental Technology, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, P.M.B. 0248, Bauchi, Bauchi State, Nigeria Corresponding Author: Aliyu Ahmad Aliyu ABSTRACT The study aimed at investigating the role of private sector in the provision of affordable housing to the public with a view to establishing strategies for affordable housing ownership using Lafia as the study area. A Survey Research was carried out through the use of questionnaire instrument. Two types of Questionnaires were administered, one for the households and the other for Private developers. The stratified sampling technique was adopted for the study; while Data obtained from the field were processed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results revealed that production of physical housing units as well as building materials particularly the local contents are the major role played by private sectors. It has been discovered that most of the private developers used imported building materials for housing development. The findings also revealed that rising cost of land, construction materials, land scarcity with infrastructure and inflation during the project life are the major challenges faced by private developers. Moreover, personal savings and mortgage loan are the most preferred housing finance options by households. The study therefore recommended that there should be well-developed Mortgage Institutions in Nigeria to assist developers and purchasers of the housing stock to obtain mortgage loans at low interest rates. Workable policies are needed to give more access to appropriate affordable building materials. By and large, research and development into innovative technologies should be supported. Above all, the government should facilitate the development of Building Materials Producers Association of Nigeria (BUMPAN), the Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria (REDAN) and other associations in the housing industry. There should also be a macroeconomic stability, by keeping inflation and interest rates down with a well regulated and structured market that will give investors confidence about the economy. This will facilitate affordable housing supply by private developers to the expected housing needs. Keywords: Affordable Accommodation, Housing Delivery, Housing Finance, Private Sector and Property Development. 1. INTRODUCTION In recent times, the growing urban population and the poor housing conditions of the vast majority of urban dwellers in developing countries have become an important issue in global discourse. Many of these countries are experiencing severe pressure on urban housing as a result of mismatch between their housing provisions and urbanization trends. In many countries in Africa, rapid urbanization and rising urban housing costs coupled with high rate of urban poverty, weak governance, and inefficient public services have continued to aggravate the situation. Africa’s annual urban population growth rate of 3.23 percent in 2011 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2012), makes it the fastest urbanizing continent in the world. Demographic growth has continued against a considerable and constantly increasing housing deficit (UN-Habitat, 2010). Thus, housing shortages, poor housing qualities,