All roads led to the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos State on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 where stakeholders converged for a National Workshop on Land Use Classification for Planning Practice in Nigeria.
The One Day event, with the theme: Developing a Harmonized National Land Use Classification Framework for Nigeria , brought together key stakeholders in Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, Land Administration, GIS and Spatial Data Management, from the public and private sectors.
There were also delegates from the academia including Prof. Muyiwa Agunbiade of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Lagos (UNILAG) who led the Local Organizing Committee.
The National Workshop served as a platform for participants to deliberate on the challenges arising from the lack of a harmonized land use classification system and to build consensus on the need for a nationally accepted framework to support effective planning, regulation, and digital governance.
Discussions and deliberations revolved around lack of a unified, digitally encoded land use classification system applicable across all levels of government; inconsistent land use definitions and categories that undermine development control; spatial data comparability and inter-agency coordination; absence of standardization and lack of digital alignment.
Participants expressed reservations over the failure of existing manual and ah-hoc land classification system to capture the peculiarity of Nigeria-specific land uses as it relates to informal settlements, mixed-use developments, traditional institutions, and peri-urban activities.
After exhaustive deliberation on the issues, the workshop resolved as follows:
- That the development and adoption of a harmonised, digitally encoded, Nigerian Land Use Classification Standard (NLUCS) is urgent and imperative.
- That the proposed classification framework should adopt a hierarchical structure that is both human and machine readable, that incorporate different sub-classes’ and flexible structure capable of application across all tiers of government.
- That the classification system should be designed to support e-planning platforms, automated development control, and GIS interoperability.
- That Nigeria-specific land use categories should be explicitly recognised within the national framework.
- That continuous stakeholder engagement is essential to ensure technical robustness and institutional acceptance.
Recommendations highlighted in the communiqué issued at the end of the workshop are as follows:
- The Federal Government, through the appropriate ministry, should formally adopt a National Land Use Classification Standard as a policy and regulatory reference.
- A multi-sectoral Technical Working Group comprising relevant MDAs, professional bodies, academia, and the private sector should be constituted to finalise and periodically review the framework.
- The standard should be embedded within statutory development plans, development control regulations, and e-planning system architectures.
- Capacity-building programmes should be implemented nationwide to equip planners, GIS officers, and regulators with the requisite skills.
- Pilot implementation should be undertaken in selected states and federal institutions prior to nationwide rollout.
