Purpose: Several studies have shown that climate change is a threat to sustainable human living and high consumption of energy by buildings is a contributory factor. However, green practices in buildings have been proved as one of the successful technologies to mitigate global warming. Previous studies have shown lax green practices in developing countries’ buildings, but how far concerning green certification of buildings in Nigeria is yet to be explored. Therefore, this paper investigated the barriers to green certification of buildings (GCB). Also, the paper proposed a model for promoting GCB in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approach: Eighteen experts with green building certification knowledge were engaged across three of Nigeria’s cities (Benin City, Abuja and Lagos) via scheduled WhatsApp video and teams calls. Collated interview data were analysed and presented in themes.Findings: Findings show that there is an absence of a framework to promote GCB in Nigeria. Hence, GCB is low across the states. Twelve main sub-themes emerged as the barriers to GCB in Nigeria. Also, eight key sub-themes emerged as the possible concepts that can be used to improve GCB in Nigeria and formulated into a proposed framework to promote GCB in Nigeria.Research limitations/implications: This paper is limited to GCB in Nigeria and only 18 participants were engaged. Thus, this paper suggests that a mixed-methods approach should be conducted in future studies with wider coverage. This may assist to validate the paper’s findings.Practical implications: Findings from this paper will stir up practitioners in green building and influence the promotion of GCB in the sector. As part of this study’s implications, suggestions through the paper’s proposed framework will benefit Nigeria’s policymakers to make decisions towards achieving GCB. This can be achieved via the proposed framework to promote the concept across Nigeria.Originality/value: This paper is probably the first that attempted to investigate the barriers and proffer policy solutions via a framework to promote GCB in Nigeria and by extension in other developing countries.

Purpose: Several studies have shown that the mechanism of labour-intensive construction (LIC) projects can mitigate high unemployment and create skilled development, especially in developing nations. The guidelines and practices for implementation may have faced some encumbrances in some countries. Whether the current guidelines and practices for municipal infrastructure support agent (MISA) to execute LIC projects face hindrances in South Africa has yet to receive in-depth studies. Thus, this study attempts to proffer policy solutions to improve the proposed revised guidelines and practices for MISA in LIC project execution in South Africa.Design/methodology/approach: The study's objectives were accomplished via a combination of 16 virtual interviews of built environment professionals and government officials involved in LIC project execution in South Africa and supported by the analysed documents. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data and presented two main themes.Findings: Findings show lax enforcement of discretionary funds, lax institutional capacity and inadequate individual skills, among others, as the gaps in existing South Africa's LIC guidelines and practices. Also, policy solutions to address the gaps were proffered.Practical implications: The suggested feasible policies will improve the proposed revised guidelines and practices for MISA in LIC project execution in South Africa. This guide will promote the development of individual skills, institutional capacities and increase employment across South Africa.Originality/value: This study promotes the use of LIC to create employment and contribute to proffering measures that will improve the proposed revised third edition of the guidelines and practices for MISA to execute LIC.

This article appraises issues and opportunities of architectural entrepreneurship (archi-preneurship) practice in Nigeria. It recognises the relevance of entrepreneurial orientation in the architectural syllabus as a consequence of the emerging issues facing the career path and derived from students' long-term educational needs to prepare them for a successful job in a competitive global economy. Hence, industrialisation, job creation, and poverty alleviation processes are accentuated by entrepreneurship. To find out these issues and opportunities of archi-preneurship, a systematic review approach was adopted to source current relevant data from Academia, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, MDPI, and ResearchGate databases for this study, which focused on programmes relating to the architecture profession that can help entrepreneurs grow and make conclusions. The concepts of entrepreneurship, architecture, and technology were explored. Five specialisation areas that would potentially facilitate entrepreneurial prospects in Nigeria were identified, and the challenges they present to architects. These components include architecture consultation; research and application of building information modeling (BIM) technologies; property development and construction, retrofitting and energy efficiency; sustainable building material science; and urban design. Some available skills architecture graduates could engage in include landscaping, interior design, graphics and animation, project management, architecture blogging, forensic architecture, and building pathology among others. The study outlines different aspects that architects should consider to de-emphasise the hunt for non-existent office employment and embrace self-occupation. Also, more entrepreneurial training skills and development programmes should be established, as well as a reassessment of the present syllabi to instill business knowledge at all stages of architecture education.

Purpose: The advent and usage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in design impacts project outcomes and may improve the achievement of some building project-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Studies regarding artisans’ preparedness to embrace digitalised tools and equipment in training and upskilling are yet to receive in-depth research. This study provides insight into underlying hindrances affecting Nigerian building artisans regarding digitalised tools and equipment and proffers measures to improve the usage of training and upskilling artisans and, by extension, improve the achievement of SDGs. Design/methodology/approach: The primary data encompasses face-to-face semi-structured interviews with 44 participants in Nigeria who are knowledgeable in digitalised tools and equipment, building artisans and SDGs. The researchers adopted a thematic analysis to analyse them. Findings: Findings identified a lack of artisans’ awareness, low educational background of artisans, absence of digital training centres, mechanised construction, building artisans’ mentors unwilling to align (apprenticeship), cost of adopting the technologies and usage, building artisans’ strong resistance to change and artisans’ low knowledge in tools and equipment that are digitally driven as the major issues facing digital training and upskilling building artisans on site. This research suggested measures to improve the usage of digital tools and the achievement of SDGs. Originality/value: This study is pioneering research to connect the role of digitalised tools and equipment in training and upskilling building artisans with achieving SDGs in the Nigerian context. This connection encouragingly fills a gap in digitalised tools and equipment’s role in artisans’ skills development and achieving building project-related SDGs literature.

This paper examines the influence of market patronage on the traffic situation in Benin City, Nigeria. Nine market routes were studied, and a well-structured questionnaire administered randomly and systematically was used to collect data from 407 respondents. Descriptive and correlation techniques were used to analyse the responses. Most of the markets were found to be situated along transit routes, and operated every day, resulting in street trading and parking which contributed 76.2 percent to the traffic situation in Benin metropolis. It is suggested that traffic laws prohibiting street trading and parking be enacted and enforced. The marketplaces should be restructured to accommodate motor parks, and alternative routes to bypass market areas for non-market trips should be considered as well as the provision of priority lanes for High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV).