The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and the Chartered Institute of Building Engineers (CIOB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate to raise professional standards and promote sustainable practices in Nigeria’s built environment.
While CORBON plays a pivotal role in the licensing and regulation of construction professionals in Nigeria, the UK-based CIOB is widely recognized as the world’s largest and most influential professional body in construction management and leadership.
The partnership between the two companies combines CORBON’s understanding of the country’s building regulations and development needs with CIOB’s expertise and network of knowledge and training resources.
According to CORBON Registrar Tunji Adeniran, the partnership comes at an opportune time for Nigeria’s building sector, which is on an upward trajectory with a focus on infrastructure development.
Nigeria’s CIOB member, Andrew Abiona, said Nigeria is witnessing significant growth in cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, where rapid urbanization is increasing demand for housing, offices and factories.
“The World Bank notes that we are urbanizing at a rate of about 4.3% each year, but government programs such as the National Housing Plan and public-private partnerships are helping to move things forward,” he says.
But rapid growth also has its drawbacks. “There is a lack of good infrastructure and construction costs are high because a lot of materials have to be imported,” says Aviona.
“Skilled labor is also in short supply and building codes are being ignored, which has led to serious incidents in the past. To address these issues, the Memorandum of Understanding between CIOB and CORBON will strengthen cooperation to promote professionalism, enforce regulations and provide training in the industry, helping to improve safety and efficiency.”
CORBON’s Adeniran said the sector also has legal weaknesses, opining that while the legal framework to ensure professional standards across processes, materials and practitioners is well established, the institutions enforcing these standards are “poorly resourced”.
“To address capacity weaknesses, (some) local governments have put in place arrangements to involve experts outside the public service in some (form of) PPP model to further expand their capacity to establish mandatory standards,” he says.
Aviona points out that there are significant obstacles in practice, including inefficiencies in the permitting process, the use of low-quality materials, and a lack of enforcement of regulations.
“CIOB and CORBON intend to make a strong push to address these issues by improving certification processes, expanding training options, and requiring stricter adherence to standards,” he says. “If we can address these issues head-on, we can enhance the quality and reputation of the Nigerian construction industry.”
Mr Abiona said the building sector is starting to see more investment in affordable housing, thanks to government support and private sector interest.
“New technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) and green materials are becoming commonplace and should help improve the quality of construction,” he says. “The partnership between CIOB and CORBON also aims to strengthen regulations, provide more development opportunities for professionals and ensure that builders comply with international standards.”
Adeniran said sustainability in construction is slowly but surely becoming a buzzword in the Nigerian industry.
“There is a conversation among built environment professionals about sustainable construction and the implementation/execution of such projects is at a very early stage,” he says.
“However, it is worth noting that there are bodies and organizations in industry and civil society that are at the forefront of the conversation to entrench sustainability in construction. Importantly, educational institutions responsible for training professionals are embedding the concept, deepening understanding and ensuring wider adoption.”
Chukwudi Ononogbu, Nigeria’s CIOB member, said the partnership between CIOB and CORBON will provide training, mentoring and networking opportunities for Nigerian students and mid-career professionals, who seek to gain “a truly global platform to engage with the best talent in the built environment sector, share knowledge and advance professional standards across borders.”
“This is a meaningful opportunity for companies, institutions and universities to connect through capacity development, research and a shared vision of what good is,” he says.
Photo: Construction site (© Muhammad Hadyan Baqi | Dreamstime.com)
