Precious Anga
Lagos — Stakeholders in Nigeria’s built environment have launched a new initiative to accelerate sustainable construction practices and establish green building standards as a core requirement across the country’s property sector.
The initiative, known as the Construction Project GreenCard (CPG), is an indigenous green building certification system developed to assess the sustainability performance of buildings and infrastructure projects using locally relevant benchmarks.
Unveiled at a policy and investment roundtable organised by GreenCard Certification International at the University of Lagos, the framework is designed to evaluate projects across four key areas: energy efficiency, material selection, water management, and indoor health and comfort.
Stakeholders said the initiative addresses a longstanding gap in Nigeria’s construction industry by providing a standardised and affordable tool for measuring environmental performance.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the CPG Advisory Board and GreenCard Certification International, Dr Muhammad Balogun, said the initiative is critical as buildings remain one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions.
According to him, buildings account for more than 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions through material production, construction activities and energy consumption.
“Buildings we construct today will determine environmental outcomes for generations. Without deliberate sustainability measures, the impact of rapid urbanisation could be severe,” Balogun said.
He noted that Africa’s rapid population growth and rising housing demand could place enormous pressure on energy systems and natural resources if sustainability is not integrated into future developments.
Balogun also highlighted the economic benefits of green construction, noting that Nigeria’s construction market, valued at about $34.7 billion, presents significant opportunities for investors and developers.
He said certified green buildings in Lagos have demonstrated that occupants spend between 15 and 25 per cent less on operational costs than users of conventional buildings, while investors benefit from stronger asset values and improved returns.
He further explained that international financiers, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), are increasingly prioritising environmentally sustainable projects, creating additional incentives for developers to adopt green building standards.
Also speaking, Chief Architect at the Lagos State Office of e-GIS and Urban Development, Anna Obadina, identified fragmented regulations as a major obstacle to the growth of green buildings in Nigeria.
She noted that while existing policies contain sustainability provisions, the absence of a unified national framework has slowed implementation.
Obadina, however, described the inclusion of the building sector in Nigeria’s latest Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) under the Paris Agreement as a significant milestone.
“Before now, the built environment was never captured in our national contributions. Now buildings have a role to play,” she said.
She disclosed that Lagos State has already integrated sustainability requirements into its building approval processes through the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) and the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA).
“Through LASPPPA and LASBCA, the state has created a sub-national building code that sets minimum sustainability standards for any new development. In practice, this means no building permit is granted in Lagos without meeting those requirements,” she said.
Stakeholders say wider adoption of similar frameworks across other states will be critical to achieving Nigeria’s climate goals and accelerating the transition to a more sustainable and resilient built environment.
