Find Construction and Engineering expertise in Nigeria

A June 2010 report by Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics estimated that construction in Nigeria contributed 3.2% of GDP. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of total workforce in Nigeria employed in the construction industry is 0.61%, up from 0.55% in 2006. According to an independent study in 2011, a large number of workers in Nigeria’s construction industry are economic migrants from Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic. Many component manufacturing firms employ skilled workers from as far away as China. One of the largest construction firms in Nigeria is Julius Berger, which has its head office in Abuja. Other construction firms include, for instance, E. M. Micheletti & Sons and Dantata & Sawoe.

Various authorities predict that Nigeria’s construction industry has great potential. The June 2010 report by Global Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics stated that urbanisation in Nigeria was continuing extremely rapidly, and predicted that from 2009 to 2020 only Nigeria and India will experience higher growth rates than China in their construction output. According to Business Monitor International’s first quarter report of 2012, investment inflow into Nigeria’s construction industry will attain $9.4 billion (N1.5 trillion) by 2021. However, an independent study in 2011 suggests that the current shortage of construction skills in Nigeria may prove a significant obstacle.

Factors which are driving the construction industry in Nigeria include general economic growth and increased economic activity (such as the development of the mining industry), rapid urbanisation, demographics and housing demand, and the increasing popularity of private-public partnerships worldwide. Most areas of the construction industry, such as the production of housing, remain primarily the function of the private market. Federal and state governments have also been involved in the setting of targets and the distribution of contracts. International agencies also have a role to play. In June 2010, the World Bank declared that it would invest USD300 million for the overall development of Nigerian roads.

Formal training providers of construction skills in Nigeria are polytechnics, technical schools and vocational schools. Informal training is provided by apprenticeships and on-the-job training. Certification of skills is done at state government level where the relevant ministry is supposed to test and award certificates at Grade I, II and III levels. Regulation of Nigeria’s construction industry has a reputation for being relatively relaxed. The National Building Code is a document that was signed into law in 2007 after a series of building collapses in the country, especially in Lagos. 

The Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, COREN, regulates and controls the training and practice of engineering in Nigeria, and ensures the registration of all engineering personnel (such as engineers, engineering technologists, engineering technicians and engineering craftsmen) and consulting firms wishing to practice or engage in the field of engineering.

A person desiring to become a registered engineer in Nigeria, after obtaining the approved/accredited required academic qualification, must have four years post-graduate experience under the supervision of a senior registered engineer. The academic qualifications necessary to become an engineer in Nigeria vary according to the type of engineer and the cadre in question. For instance, to become an engineering technician it is sufficient to have a National Diploma in Engineering from an accredited Polytechnic or Monotechnic. Universities in Nigeria that provide engineering courses include the University of Ilorin, University of Lagos, University of Calabar, University of Nigeria, Nsukka and many others.

The Nigerian Society of Engineers is the umbrella organisation for the engineering profession in the country. The Society aims to protect the professional needs of members and to enhance high professional standards.