Nigeria's Edo State Development & Property Corporation (ESDPC) has signed a joint venture agreement with the local MaxImpact Global Ventures Limited to develop the Esan Garden City Estate in Ekpoma, southern Nigeria.

The signing took place on 10 May. Further details of the project were not disclosed. But a 2019 report by the local Guardian news agency said the government was looking to develop 369 housing units in Ekpoma as it looked to expand its property bank outside the state capital Benin city. The report said Esan Garden City would be geared towards civil servants and low-income earners and will have four housing types including two and three-bedroom units.

The Edo state government is also involved in the Emotan Garden City and Coral City developments in Benin city.

It is currently working on a regional development plan and the Benin city masterplan, which covers tourism, education, healthcare and sports and will address the area's environmental challenges and the needs of its expanding population.

At a late April stakeholder engagement meeting, Edo state commissioner for physical planning, housing, urban and regional development Isoken Omo said an operational plan was needed to avoid haphazard development.

“In the past, people allocated space for roads, but due to the indiscriminate sales of land, everything has been sold off. But I want [to say] that despite our past mistakes, we have the opportunity to correct them now.”

Edo state governor Godwin Obaseki said he would ensure the plans were passed into law before his term ends in 2024.

During a stakeholder engagement meeting in late March, Omo said any land slated for development must first have a layout plan in place, stressing that even with changes in administrations, the proposed development plan will provide a roadmap for addressing infrastructural needs.

“We are about 4.5 million people living in Edo state, occupying about 17,802 square kilometres,” she said. “Our land does not increase but our population which is dominated by young people, is growing. The plan is for 30 years because it is a living document with a five year-interval for the evaluation of the plan. It will make the government accountable to the people as they are already aware of what ought to be put in place and where.”

Photo: Agreement signing ceremony (Source: LinkedIn @ John Zedomi)