Opinion: Africa’s construction boom faces a sustainability test

From the newsletter

As Africa’s construction sector expands to meet the housing needs of the growing population, Helen Olu-Anthony, a construction expert and SDG advocate, warns that conventional building practices risk entrenching waste, pollution and unsafe working conditions. If current approaches persist, she argues, the construction boom could leave lasting environmental and social liabilities.

• Ms Olu-Anthony is the Managing Director of Majestic Breed Ventures Limited  and a senior project management professional with over 12 years of experience leading large-scale construction and real estate projects across Nigeria, from concept to commissioning.

• She urges embedding sustainability across the entire construction lifecycle, stressing that integrating energy-efficient design, low-carbon materials and waste reduction practices is essential to protect long-term environmental, social, and economic value.

More details

By Helen Olu-Anthony

The future of construction is not just about concrete and steel , it’s about conscience and sustainability. In today’s fast-changing world, the construction industry carries more responsibility than ever before. Beyond delivering buildings on time and within budget, we are now called to create environments that are safe, sustainable, and livable, spaces that improve people’s lives without harming the planet that sustains us.

Traditional construction methods often focus on speed and profit, overlooking the waste, pollution, and health risks they leave behind. Each project that ignores sustainability contributes to soil degradation, poor air quality, flooding, and unsafe working conditions. But when we build with foresight, we don’t just erect structures, we build legacies.

Building green isn’t only about using solar panels or recycled materials. It’s about embedding eco-conscious thinking in every phase of project delivery. At the design stage, this means prioritising energy-efficient layouts and natural lighting. During procurement, it involves choosing locally sourced and low-carbon materials. In construction, the focus should be on reducing, reusing, and recycling on site to minimise waste. During operation, systems are created to sustain safety, comfort, and efficiency long after completion. When these principles guide our work, we save money, reduce risks, and protect both people and the environment.

In my 12+ years of managing construction and infrastructure projects across Nigeria, I’ve seen firsthand how small changes in mindset can produce big results. At one project site, introducing waste segregation cut landfill waste by 20%. In another, proactive risk management reduced delays by nearly a third. These outcomes didn’t just save money, they built trust, improved morale, and strengthened our communities.

Every project manager, engineer, architect, and policymaker has a role to play. The future of construction lies in collaboration and innovation, not competition. If we all commit to sustainability,  no matter how small our projects are, we can transform Nigeria’s built environment into one that reflects care, safety, and long-term value.

Let’s build projects that not only stand tall but also stand for something.