If the proposal by BVI Limited, a subsidiary of “Zawawi Group”, is anything to go by, about one million homes look set to come on stream to cushion the housing shortfall through efforts by the conglomerate group in the coming year.

Unveiling the project plans in Lagos last week, the Country Director, GEP Nigeria Limited, Mr. Tarry Rufus stated that the planned projects in Nigeria is going to reflect what he called community approach delivery.

To achieve the goal, the firm is to partner with public and private concerns in the housing sector, especially banks, state governments, as well as sizeable land owners in providing over one million affordable and luxury homes for Nigerians in strategic parts of the country.

Although, the details of the plan is yet unfolded, however, the country director of the multinational firm said that the housing plan in each community would be fashioned along the European standard mixed-use developments with facilities such as paved roads, drinkable water, power, schools, hospitals, club houses and gas stations.

Other facilities that would accompany the estates include police posts, shopping malls/commercial centers, integrated transport systems, telecommunication system security, and proper estate management services “for sustainability and communal excellence”.

Rufus, while discouraging Nigerians from capital flight, urged those with financial wherewithal to invest in the country, adding, “from every available indices, Nigeria is one of the most profitable place to do real estate and other businesses in the world.”

According to him, “religious pretensions does not produce development, rather strategic planning, sincerity of purpose, an enabling environment, local and foreign investments, tolerance, and humanitarian work will make Nigeria the next destination for infrastructure business.”

Other areas where the group is looking at, apart from real estate include the power sector, community development, water resource management, telecom solutions, land development, environmental preservation and integrated transport systems.

To underscore the seriousness of the consortium, Rufus said they have already taken several strategic Nigerian delegations (from both private and public sectors) on tours of some of her projects around the world, including a workshop recently organised in Muscat, Oman for the Nigerian delegation.

He noted that the group had access to resources for investment in infrastructure in Nigeria. “With the right project scale and credit metrics, GEP Nigeria is willing to finance and partner with state governments who are keen on delivering affordable houses to their citizens, with the possibility of offering them performance bonds for all our projects to avert performance risk and project failure.”

Consortium implementation partners include experts such as Messrs Mott Mac Donalds (UK), Thomson Adsett Architects (Australia), Carillion Alawi (Oman), Al Jaber (UAE), Beyond Forestry (UK), Blue Bottle Technologies (France), British Borneo Holdings (Malta), Katana (UK), Common Wealth Business Council, (UK), Origo Partners (China), RIBEC (UK), Credit Suisse (Switzerland), Capital (Hong Kong), Howden Insurance (UK), Global Cover Africa (South Africa), ZR Energies (Oman) and Vantem Construction (USA).

The Group have set up a local subsidiary company, GEP Nigeria Limited, as a vehicle via which they are presently carrying out their several business activities in Nigeria. GEP Nigeria Limited is a Joint Venture (JV) between GEP (BVI) Limited and the Nigerian based TBF Group, a company with interest in infrastructure, energy, health care, oil and gas and environmental preservation, based in Nigeria.