Sustainability is no longer an afterthought in construction and infrastructure industries around the world, but is becoming the norm as governments rush to mitigate the effects of climate change.
At the COP29 climate change conference held in Azerbaijan in November 2024, nearly 200 countries pledged to triple financing to developing countries to US$300 billion annually to protect them from climate disasters and help them ride the clean energy boom.
The African continent is likely to receive a significant portion of this funding, as it is the world’s least carbon emitter, yet arguably the continent most adversely affected by climate change. Add to this situation the fact that 70% of the continent’s building stock that will exist in 2040 has not yet been built according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), making this problem increasingly pressing.
decarbonization
Dr. Olubukola Tokede opines that decarbonizing the built environment is a timely topic and constitutes an important scope for Africa.
“Decarbonization means we need to change supply chains, processes, technologies and policies,” says Dr Tokede, deputy international director of the School of Architecture and Built Environment at Deakin University in Australia.
“Given Africa’s specific challenges (e.g. poverty, illiteracy, policy (insecurity)), decarbonization seems a long way off at the moment. Perhaps it will mean that Africa begins to be more ambitious and collaborative in recognizing its position in stopping environmental pollution.”
“Africa needs significant built environment investment and infrastructure to overcome many of its development challenges. But decarbonization means aligning our goals with the rest of the world to mitigate the challenges of climate change.”
“Although there has been some progress in green building rating systems and increasing interest in circularity, there is still a long way to go to ensure mainstream organizations and stakeholders adopt decarbonization principles.”
Life cycle assessment
Importantly when it comes to sustainability in construction, Dr. Tokede is passionate about a sustainable future and has been a Certified Life Cycle Assessment Practitioner (LCACP) since 2019. This certification enables you to address Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). LCA is defined as a systematic approach to quantifying the environmental impact of a product/service/system over its life cycle, thereby increasing the efficiency of resource use and reducing debt. LCA can be used to study the environmental impact of a product/service/system or the function it is designed to perform.
A key element of LCA is identifying and quantifying the environmental burdens involved, such as the energy and raw materials consumed, and the emissions and waste produced. Evaluate the potential environmental impacts of these loads. Evaluate available options to reduce these environmental impacts.
The LCACP is administered by the American Center of Life Cycle Assessment (ACLCA) and allows board-certified physicians to practice in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
“LCA can help guide decision-making to support various strategies that can mitigate or reduce environmental emissions,” says Dr. Tokede. “In the construction and infrastructure industry, LCA is particularly useful for comparing different building materials (e.g. steel vs. wood) and different methods (e.g. prefabrication vs. conventional techniques).
“LCAs, particularly those informing environmental product declarations, have recently been considered to support digital passports for materials in Europe, and this information will support procurement decisions for governments and relevant stakeholders.”
Source: City of Greater Geelong
LCA in Africa
However, the scholar points out that LCA is yet to play a major role in construction and infrastructure in Africa.
“I don’t have much field experience with LCA in African contexts,” says Dr. Tokede. “I have given talks on sustainability and the use of virtual reality in construction in Africa. I have also given talks on the potential of waste-to-energy transformation in Africa and the role of LCA in making this transition effective. I also had the opportunity to network with stakeholders working across LCA in Africa and supported research initiatives on LCA in Africa.”
Nevertheless, Dr. Tokede co-founded the African LCA Initiative (ALIES) and a steering committee to support its governance. ALIES is supported by the Lifecycle Initiative hosted by UNEP and aims to become an umbrella organization that brings together LCA practitioners, academics and enthusiasts to promote the appropriate use, development and implementation of LCA in Africa.
In mid-September, ALIES held its first in-person event on the sidelines of the 12th Life Cycle Management (LCM) Conference in Italy to discuss the urgent need to mainstream LCA in Africa.
academic and industry
Dr. Tokede also points out that academia needs to be more involved in shaping policies that support activities in the construction sector. “Leaving policy development to government officials with limited exposure and experience[in this field]could have a negative impact on the development of the construction industry across the continent,” he says.
“Industry could support the work of academia by holding competitions to support the identification and recruitment of talent into the construction industry, as well as by offering/sponsoring awards for papers at undergraduate and postgraduate level.”
Dr. Tokede opines that the lack of innovative financing, government reforms and appropriate partnerships continues to limit infrastructure development and construction in Africa. “Furthermore, the lack of basic amenities such as security, power access and public (infrastructure) tends to be a front line for many African governments, leading to insufficient progress in infrastructure development and construction,” he says.
“We also need to strengthen Africa’s workforce and ensure that all walks of the workforce are able to deliver on projects. We also need to be careful to celebrate ‘wins’ in infrastructure development and construction. There are many awe-inspiring projects being developed in Africa that are largely unrecognized on the continent and beyond.”
“A lack of funding is hampering infrastructure development and construction in Africa. Foreign direct investment accounts for around 70% of private investment in infrastructure, and most of it tends to be concentrated in the extractive sector. To fill this funding gap, it would be helpful for African governments to explore more innovative financing models and explore partnerships to support infrastructure delivery.”
“More importantly, the stability of government policies and the consolidation of democratic principles in (governance) will increase the confidence of the international community to support efforts in Africa.”
Dr. Tokede recognizes the importance of research and data in supporting the activities of Africa’s construction industry. Organizations like ConstructAfrica can “help provide relevant data to ensure that stakeholders are continually and objectively benchmarked in terms of their performance (i.e. cost, time, quality) and, hopefully, environmental sustainability in the near future,” he says.
“ConstructAfrica can therefore provide real-time performance indicators that can facilitate financing opportunities for contractors and infrastructure developers. This information will be of particular interest in attracting relevant investors to Africa.”
Photo above: Dr. Olubukola Tokede (Source: Dr. Tokede)
