The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group – through its EDGE Green Buildings programme, has recognised 13 new green building projects for sustainable pre-design and celebrated nine organisations for their post-construction project phases at the just concluded Future Cities – Africa Green Building Summit 2.0 held in Lagos.

The projects and organisations were awarded alongside EDGE experts – industry professionals, accredited by IFC, with specialised training in the EDGE certification system and sustainable design – who worked as advisors to the nine developers and financial institutions on their respective green building projects.

EDGE is IFC’s global green building certification program designed to help property developers build and brand green quickly, easily, and affordably. quickly, easily, and affordably

To date, EDGE has certified over 85 million square meters globally, with 3 million square meters in Africa alone.

EDGE-certified projects in Nigeria now cover 712,395 sqm made up of 37 projects, which represents energy savings of 25,244 MWh/year, enough to power 16 million homes for a year. Water savings from Nigeria’s EDGE-certified buildings amount to 785,056 m3/year, or 315 Olympic-size swimming pools, alongside CO2 savings of 13,772 tCO2/year, the equivalent to the yearly emissions from 2,680 fossil fuel passenger cars.
As part of recognition at the event, Sterling Bank was presented with an EDGE Advanced Plaque for its Green Bay Estate and its headquarters,

Sterling Towers, entirely wrapped its 17 floors with solar panels for maximum energy efficiency as part of its bid towards being a net zero carbon building. Infracredit received an EDGE Advanced plaque for its office building and is committed to promoting sustainable development in all projects it finances through guarantees.

Lango Real Estate was recognised for its commitment to achieving EDGE certification for 100% of its total portfolio of buildings within a targeted timeframe of 24 months and received certification for two of its buildings, Circle Mall and The Wings Complex, at the event.

Lousol Properties Ltd was awarded EDGE certification for retrofitting Atlantic House to meet EDGE standards, a 23-year-old, 5-floor, A-grade office building in Victoria Island, Lagos, while Louisville Residential, and Louisville Retail Podiums, two parts of a 167,000sqm mixed-use development located in Eko Atlantic city in Victoria Island, Lagos were awarded both EDGE Advanced certification and EDGE certification, the largest project to date under the Nigeria EDGE certifications portfolio.

Real Estate developer, Mixta Africa, received EDGE Advanced certification for Marula Park, a 73,147sqm residential project consisting of 1,2-, and 3-bedroom apartments, and Purple XYZ was awarded EDGE certification for the first project in its portfolio to be built to EDGE standards, a 26,738.00 sqm project, Purplelekki.

Novotel Hotel, a 170-room development in Victoria Island, Lagos being developed by Ekulo International Limited and AccorHotels became the first Nigerian hotel certified in the EDGE portfolio, while Irele Towers, was awarded EDGE certification, with more buildings likely to follow as part of The Lagos Free Zone by Tolaram, a private free trade zone covering 830 hectares located in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State.

“IFC is committed to fostering a sustainable future and encouraging developers to construct green, climate-friendly buildings. Through IFC EDGE, these projects in Nigeria exemplify efforts to enhance resilient, efficient, and environmentally friendly development,” said Christian Mulamula, IFC’s Head of Office in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s construction industry has historically been a major driver of economic growth and has significant potential for advancing sustainable practices, supported by increasing awareness and education in the industry.

The Future Cities – Africa Green Building Summit 2.0 held from 16th to 19th July 2024 at Lagos Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, hosted by the GBCN, in collaboration with IFC through its EDGE Green Buildings and Building Resilience Index programs, and the World Green Building Council Africa Regional Network. Under the theme ‘Building Resilient Futures: Integrating Carbon Neutrality, Circular Economy and Inclusive Urban Development’, the event brought together senior executives from Africa’s 16 green building councils, along with delegations from across Africa, as well as local and international experts and stakeholders.