Detailed shelter response profile Northeast Nigeria: local building cultures for sustainable and resilient habitats

Résumé En

This Profile was produced from May 2023 to November 2024. The process was codirected by IOM Nigeria, UNIMAID (University of Maiduguri), and CRAterre, with the tight collaboration of the Shelter – DMS/CCCM Cluster in Nigeria. IOM and other partners have identified several challenges in providing durable shelter solutions, including concerns about the durability of local materials, limited focus on long-term solutions, or the adaptability of basic housing to seasonal changes and weather conditions. While challenges exist, this Shelter Response Profile aims to provide a basic understanding of the context and key issues related to shelter sector operations, and in particular to support housing projects that make best use of and evolve existing good practices in Local Building Cultures. Emphasis is placed on local building practices and materials that enable better building, rebuilding rebuild or rehabilitate, and which lend themselves to the possibility of the ability of those affected to better shelter themselves. To this end, the strengths of local construction and practices, knowledge and experience developed by local local communities were identified, analyzed and, in many cases, validated over the years. The core of data collection has been achieved thanks to Participatory assessments of local habitat conducted by UNIMAID and IOM in 23 locations in the three BAY States, thanks to the active participation of communities, students and professors at UNIMAID, and shelter practitioners, with remote support of CRAterre. The profile was revised by academics and shelter and housing actors in Nigeria, and by several Nigerian and international experts. This document summarizes and disseminates strengths of local building cultures.