Real Estate Development in Nigeria: Strategic Approaches to Overcoming Data and Infrastructure Gaps


Authors : Prince Orji

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 2 - February


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/2p9rujwd

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/4j9ywmba

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26feb803

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : This study examines the scale and nature of two competitive deficits, data inadequacy and failed infrastructure provision, that fundamentally constrain strategic growth in the Nigerian real estate sector. Drawing on Institutional Theory and the Resource-Based View (RBV), the analysis first quantifies the severity of data transparency in land administration and valuation, and governance friction in policy enforcement. The central finding is the costly necessity of infrastructure internalization, where developers assume state responsibilities, translating into a premium on construction costs. This premium directly impairs strategic management (investment, risk, and affordability) by depressing net investment yields, forcing subjective risk assessment, and destroying housing affordability via the Triple Cost Stack. To overcome these structural barriers, the paper proposes a Strategic Governance Framework. This framework champions the implementation of a Unified Digital Land Registry (UDLR) using PropTech and promotes innovative finance models like Land Value Capture (LVC) and targeted Public-Private Partnerships. The goal is to de-risk the market, foster competitive cost structures, and unlock sustainable institutional investment necessary to curb the national housing deficit.

Keywords : Institutional Voids, Strategic Framework, Real Estate Development, Infrastructure Internalization, Triple Cost Stack, Nigeria.

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This study examines the scale and nature of two competitive deficits, data inadequacy and failed infrastructure provision, that fundamentally constrain strategic growth in the Nigerian real estate sector. Drawing on Institutional Theory and the Resource-Based View (RBV), the analysis first quantifies the severity of data transparency in land administration and valuation, and governance friction in policy enforcement. The central finding is the costly necessity of infrastructure internalization, where developers assume state responsibilities, translating into a premium on construction costs. This premium directly impairs strategic management (investment, risk, and affordability) by depressing net investment yields, forcing subjective risk assessment, and destroying housing affordability via the Triple Cost Stack. To overcome these structural barriers, the paper proposes a Strategic Governance Framework. This framework champions the implementation of a Unified Digital Land Registry (UDLR) using PropTech and promotes innovative finance models like Land Value Capture (LVC) and targeted Public-Private Partnerships. The goal is to de-risk the market, foster competitive cost structures, and unlock sustainable institutional investment necessary to curb the national housing deficit.

Keywords : Institutional Voids, Strategic Framework, Real Estate Development, Infrastructure Internalization, Triple Cost Stack, Nigeria.

Paper Submission Last Date
31 - March - 2026

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