Building for Social Impact: Rethinking Corporate Social Responsibility Through Social Housing for Women | Gidi

Building for Social Impact: Rethinking Corporate Social Responsibility Through Social Housing for Women

Nigeria’s housing crisis has become one of the most pressing challenges confronting our development as a nation.

Beyond the housing deficit, which the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development estimates at approximately 15 million inadequate housing units, the rising cost of construction, land acquisition, infrastructure and financing has made decent housing increasingly unaffordable, even for the middle class.

For many low-income Nigerians, home ownership has become almost impossible, while access to decent rental accommodation remains a struggle.

This reality presents an important question of “how we can contribute meaningfully to addressing a problem that is directly related to our business” for those of us in the real estate industry. I believe part of the answer lies in rethinking corporate social responsibility and making social housing a more careful consideration for real estate developers.

Over the years, corporate social responsibility has largely involved charitable donations, educational support, medical outreaches, and other community interventions. These are commendable efforts that should continue. However, I believe real estate companies can achieve more lasting social impact by applying their professional expertise, resources, and partnerships to providing shelter for underserved members of society. Women deserve particular consideration in this effort.

In many Nigerian households, women play a central role in raising children, managing family welfare, and creating the environment in which families develop.  Unfortunately, economic hardship, displacement, widowhood, and limited access to property ownership have left many women struggling to secure decent accommodation for themselves and their dependents.

The World Bank’s gender data for Nigeria illustrates this disparity. In 2018, only 10.7% of women aged 15–49 owned a dwelling, either independently or jointly, compared with 40.5% of men. The implications extend beyond accommodation. A home provides security, privacy, stability, and an environment in which children can grow, and families can thrive. Where adequate shelter is absent, families may face repeated displacement, interrupted education, exposure to unsafe living
conditions and other socioeconomic pressures.

Although housing cannot independently resolve these challenges, providing secure accommodation can significantly improve the circumstances in which vulnerable women care for
themselves and their families

There are already useful examples of such interventions. In Cross River State, the government allocated land in 2025 for a proposed housing scheme comprising 70 homes for widows and
vulnerable women. The initiative demonstrates how institutional partnerships can be directed towards addressing women’s housing needs

For private developers, similar interventions can be supported through dedicated CSR allocations, partnerships with the government, contributions from commercial projects, and collaboration with
other corporate organizations. The objective should be to establish models that are financially responsible, sustainable, and capable of reaching those most in need.

At The GIDI Company, this thinking informs our ongoing GIDI Social Housing initiative, under the campaign “A Key to a New Beginning.” Through our collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, we are developing homes for vulnerable and underserved women, recognizing that access to decent shelter can provide a meaningful foundation for rebuilding lives.

I believe the Nigerian real estate industry can make social housing a more significant part of its contribution to national development. While commercial development remains essential to sustaining our businesses, our responsibilities should also extend to those whose economic circumstances exclude them from the conventional property market.

Ultimately, we should also measure the value of real estate development by its contribution to improving how people live, especially those who need that intervention most.

Tobi Akerele
Chief Executive Officer

The Gidi Company