FG to establish building materials hubs across geopolitical zones

The Federal Government of Nigeria is set to establish Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs in each of the country's six geopolitical zones. This initiative aims to significantly boost local production of construction materials, thereby reducing overall building costs and making housing more accessible and affordable for Nigerians.

Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), announced this plan in Abuja while inaugurating the 56th Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Builders. He emphasized that the hubs are designed to strengthen domestic supply chains and support local manufacturing efforts. Akume urged the Nigerian Institute of Builders to lend their technical expertise, research capabilities, and industry networks to help shape and implement policies that will transform the housing sector.

According to the SGF, this endeavor is a key component of President Bola Tinubu's "Renewed Hope Agenda," which prioritizes expanding access to safe, durable, sustainable, and affordable housing. Akume stressed that housing is fundamental to safety, dignity, family stability, wealth creation, and overall quality of life. He also issued a stern warning against practices like poor supervision, the use of substandard materials, construction shortcuts, corruption, and the employment of unqualified personnel, noting that such actions jeopardize building integrity and endanger lives and investments.

Akume called for enhanced collaboration among professionals in the built environment. He advocated for measures such as improved design-to-cost ratios, increased utilization of local materials, bulk procurement strategies, waste reduction, adoption of modern construction methods, transparent bills of quantities, and the strengthening of domestic supply chains. The SGF encouraged builders to leverage the opportunities presented by the Federal Government's infrastructure projects, highlighting that over 2,700 kilometers of roads are planned.

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Government is pursuing the development of Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs across the geopolitical zones precisely to support local production and reduce construction costs, and your role is to bring the technical knowledge, research capacity and industry networks to the table by contributing to policies and programmes from conceptualisation to delivery.