The Nigerian built environment faces challenges of poor-quality construction, high carbon emissions, and weak professional practice, which limit its global competitiveness. This study assessed how the adoption of innovative sustainable materials and improved professional practice can enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global built environment. A descriptive survey design with a mixed-method approach was adopted. The population comprised 133,000 registered built environment professionals in Nigeria. Using the Taro Yamane formula, a sample of 450 respondents was selected through stratified random sampling across the six geo-political zones. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and 5 expert interviews. Out of 450 questionnaires administered, 412 were retrieved and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were used for analysis. Findings revealed that the adoption of sustainable materials is moderate (M = 3.09, SD = 0.94) while professional practice is low (M = 2.78, SD = 0.98). Cost, lack of awareness, and poor infrastructure were the major barriers. Regression results showed that sustainable materials (β = .342, p < .001) and professional practice (β = .475, p < .001) significantly predict global competitiveness and account for 58% of the variance. The study concluded that Nigeria cannot be globally competitive without urgent reforms in materials, practice, and policy. It recommended the enactment of a mandatory green building code, provision of tax incentives, curriculum reform, and stronger enforcement by professional bodies.

References

 Abubakar, I. R., Dano, U. L., & AlShihri, F. S. (2021). Sustainable housing in Nigeria. Sustainable Cities and Society, 65, 102578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102578

 Adewale, P., & Ojo, S. (2020). Digital skills gap in Nigerian construction. _African Journal of Built Environment, 8(2), 45–59.

 Babbie, E. (2020). The practice of social research (15th ed.). Cengage.

 Boje, C., Guerriero, A., Kubicki, S., & Rezgui, Y. (2024). Artificial intelligence and sustainability in construction. Automation in Construction, 158, 105215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2023.105215

 Building Collapse Prevention Guild. (2022). Annual report. BCPG.

 Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). Sage.

 DiMaggio, P. J., & Powell, W. W. (1983). The iron cage revisited. American Sociological Review, 48(2), 147–160. https://doi.org/10.2307/2095101

 Eastman, C., Teicholz, P., Sacks, R., & Liston, K. (2023). BIM handbook (4th ed.). Wiley.

 Eze, E. C., & Nwosu, K. C. (2023). Curriculum gaps in Nigerian TVET. International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment, 12(1), 33–47.

 Kwofie, T. E., Aigbavboa, C., & Thwala, D. (2020). BIM and sustainability in Africa. Journal of Construction, 14(3), 112–129.  National Bureau of Statistics. (2023). Nigeria GDP report. NBS.

 Olugbenga, A., & Adebayo, S. (2022). Professional ethics in Nigerian construction. Journal of Construction Management, 11(2), 67–81.

 Olusoga, O., Awodele, O., & Omirin, M. (2023). Building collapse in Nigeria. Journal of Building Pathology, 9(1), 22–35.

 Pallant, J. (2020). SPSS survival manual (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.  Rogers, E. M. (2003). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed.). Free Press.  Sacks, R., Perlman, A., & Barak, R. (2024). VR and safety in construction. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 59, 102210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aei.2023.102210

 United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). Global status report for buildings and construction. UNEP.  UN-Habitat. (2023). State of African cities report. UN-Habitat.  World Economic Forum. (2023). Global competitiveness report. WEF.

 Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). Harper and Row.