Nigeria plans building material hubs to cut costs, boost local production

Nigeria's Federal Government is set to establish Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs in each of the country's six geopolitical zones. This initiative aims to significantly reduce construction costs and broaden access to affordable housing, according to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume.

Speaking at the 56th Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIOB) in Abuja, Akume explained that the hubs are designed to bolster domestic supply chains, encourage local manufacturing, and ensure building materials are more readily available and cheaper. "Government is pursuing the development of Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs across the geopolitical zones precisely to support local production and reduce construction costs," he stated.

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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.

The SGF called upon builders to leverage their technical knowledge, research capabilities, and industry connections to influence policies and programs that will reshape the housing sector. He emphasized their role in contributing to policies from conception through to completion. This initiative aligns with the administration's "Renewed Hope Agenda," which prioritizes providing housing that is affordable, safe, durable, and sustainable, recognizing housing's impact on safety, dignity, family stability, and quality of life.

Akume also urged the NIOB to maintain high professional standards, ensuring that competence, ethics, and public trust remain central to the building profession. He issued a warning against poor supervision, the use of substandard materials, construction shortcuts, corruption, and the employment of unqualified personnel, noting that such practices compromise building quality and endanger lives. The institute was also encouraged to raise public awareness against unqualified practitioners and prevent certified builders from endorsing projects they have not supervised.

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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.