Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction: Professional Management of Flood Recovery Building Programmes in Anambra State

Recurrent flooding in Anambra State has generated significant post-disaster housing reconstruction demands, and the professional management quality of these reconstruction programmes determines whether rebuilt housing meets durability, safety, and future flood resilience standards. This study professionally evaluates the management frameworks applied in three flood recovery housing reconstruction programmes in Anambra State following the 2022 flooding events, covering government-led, NGO-led, and self-help reconstruction approaches. Programme documentation review, semi-structured interviews with fifteen programme managers, five government housing officials, and thirty-five beneficiary households, and physical assessment of one hundred and twenty reconstructed dwellings were conducted. Management quality was evaluated against international Sphere Standards and the Build Back Better framework dimensions of structural safety, future risk reduction, household participation, and land tenure security. Results indicate that government-led reconstruction achieved the highest scale but the lowest structural safety compliance, with sixty-three percent of inspected dwellings showing sub-standard foundation depth and inadequate flood-resistant floor level provision. NGO-led reconstruction demonstrated the strongest Build Back Better compliance but at significantly higher cost per unit. Self-help reconstruction showed the widest quality variation, strongly correlated with household income level. None of three programmes adequately addressed land tenure security as a condition of reconstruction eligibility. Household participation in design decisions was absent in government-led reconstruction. The study recommends a state-level post-disaster housing reconstruction policy for Anambra State, specifying minimum technical standards, an architect-led site supervision requirement, and tenure documentation support for all flood-affected households. Keywords: post-disaster reconstruction, flood recovery, housing management, Anambra State, Build Back Better.