SHELTER SECTOR PLANNING

SCUAH will implement the project with long- and short-term consultant assistance. SCUAH will develop a comprehensive and realistic national housing policy geared to the shelter needs of Niger"s low-income families. As a possible first step in the implementation of this new policy, preliminary project designs which maximize the use of local public and private resources will be prepared. These policies and programs will utilize and develop an information base already compiled by other international donors, including the UN, IBRD, and several European governments. To assist SCUAH in these areas, A.I.D. will finance two shelter sector experts, one with housing finance and economics experience, the other with technical and civil engineering experience. As needs dictate, these experts will call on short-term consultants to analyze specific aspects of shelter sector conditions which fall outside their range of experience. Finally, the two A.I.D.-funded experts will train their Nigerian counterparts to enable them to maintain the initiatives developed during the project. Limited funds for participant training will also be provided. It is expected that, as a result of the project, the GON will have housing policy guidelines to foster institutional and program development, as well as a trained SCUAH Housing Division staff to research, plan, and present low-income shelter programs for GON action and to coordinate shelter-related activities. The project beneficiaries will be the country"s lower-income urban families.