The revelation by the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, that about 80 per cent of building materials used in Nigeria are imported should be a wake-up call to policymakers, researchers and industry stakeholders.

For a country struggling with a huge housing deficit, rising construction costs, unemployment and persistent foreign exchange pressures, such dependence is not merely an industrial weakness; it is a serious economic liability.

Nigeria cannot realistically achieve affordable housing or sustainable infrastructure development while much of what is required to construct homes, schools, hospitals, offices and other public facilities continues to come from abroad. Every imported door, window, tile, electrical component and other construction material represents an opportunity that could have been captured by Nigerian manufacturers, entrepreneurs and workers.

Echono’s intervention is therefore timely. More importantly, it should trigger a deliberate national programme to reduce import dependence through research, innovation and industrial development.

Nigeria is not short of raw materials. The country possesses abundant deposits of clay, limestone, laterite, sand, timber and other resources that can support the production of a wide range of construction materials. It also has universities, polytechnics, research institutes, architects, engineers and other professionals capable of developing solutions suited to local conditions.

The problem is that research too often remains within academic institutions without making the difficult journey from laboratories to factories and construction sites. This disconnect needs to end. Research funding should not be judged merely by the number of papers published or conferences attended. Increasingly, the test should be whether research produces practical solutions to Nigeria’s most pressing problems. Building-material research is one area where such an approach can have immediate economic and social benefits.

TETFund, with its mandate to support tertiary education and research, is strategically positioned to facilitate this transition. It can encourage universities and researchers to develop affordable, durable and climate-responsive alternatives to imported construction products. But research should be undertaken in partnership with manufacturers, construction companies, professional bodies and government agencies so that successful innovations can be commercialised.

The construction industry offers enormous opportunities for local industrialisation. Housing alone generates demand for cement, roofing materials, doors, windows, tiles, sanitary fittings, electrical components, paints, insulation products and numerous other items. If these products can be produced competitively in Nigeria, the multiplier effect on employment and economic activity would be considerable.

There is also a foreign exchange dimension. Nigeria has spent substantial resources importing products that could potentially be manufactured domestically. At a time when the naira remains under pressure and businesses are struggling with the cost of imported inputs, reducing dependence on foreign products is an economic necessity.

However, local production must not become an excuse for poor quality or excessive pricing. Nigerian consumers should not be compelled to purchase inferior products simply because they are locally manufactured. The objective must be to produce materials that meet internationally recognised standards, are durable, safe, affordable and competitive.

This requires stronger standards enforcement. The Standards Organisation of Nigeria and relevant regulatory bodies must ensure that local manufacturers meet established specifications while preventing substandard imported materials from flooding the market.

Government procurement can also become a powerful instrument for supporting indigenous production. Federal and state governments spend enormous sums yearly on housing, schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure. Where locally manufactured materials meet required standards and offer competitive value, public procurement should give them appropriate preference.

Such a policy would create predictable demand, encourage investment and provide manufacturers with the confidence to expand production capacity.

The proposal by the Female Architects of Nigeria (FAN) for collaboration with TETFund is therefore worth serious consideration. Its emphasis on affordable housing, green building, climate-responsive design, sustainable materials, mentorship and practical research reflects the kind of multidisciplinary approach Nigeria needs.

Architects, engineers, material scientists, universities and manufacturers should work together to develop building systems that respond to Nigerian realities rather than simply reproducing models designed for other environments.

Climate change makes this even more urgent. Nigeria’s built environment is increasingly exposed to flooding, extreme heat and other climate-related risks. The country needs construction materials and designs capable of improving energy efficiency, reducing environmental impact and increasing the resilience of buildings.

Local materials can play an important role in this transition if their performance is properly researched and documented. Research should examine not only availability but also durability, energy consumption, lifecycle costs, maintenance requirements and environmental impact. There is also a need to rethink the country’s approach to technology transfer. Nigeria has often imported finished products and technologies without developing sufficient local capacity to manufacture, maintain or improve them. This perpetuates dependency.

The construction sector should instead become a platform for technology acquisition, adaptation and eventual local innovation. TETFund’s support for research can help create this ecosystem, but it cannot do it alone. The Federal Government should establish policies that encourage manufacturing, provide reliable infrastructure and reduce the cost of doing business. Manufacturers need access to affordable finance, while researchers need funding and incentives to pursue applied research.

Professional associations also have a crucial role. Architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, builders and other built-environment professionals should promote the use of certified local materials where appropriate and provide feedback on their performance. They should also encourage clients to consider lifecycle costs rather than focusing exclusively on initial purchase prices.

The housing crisis makes this imperative. Construction costs have risen sharply, making home ownership increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians. While land, finance and infrastructure are major components of housing costs, the price of building materials remains a significant factor.

Reducing import dependence alone will not solve the housing crisis, but a more competitive domestic materials industry can contribute to lowering costs and improving supply security. The government must consequently move beyond rhetoric about local content. Nigeria has had local-content policies for years, yet many sectors remain heavily dependent on imports. The challenge is implementation.

A national strategy for indigenous building materials should establish clear targets for reducing import dependence, identify priority materials, fund research and development, support pilot manufacturing plants and create incentives for successful products to enter the market.

Nigeria has demonstrated that it can build domestic capacity when there is political will and sustained investment. The cement industry is one example of how local production can expand dramatically when policy, capital and entrepreneurial investment converge. The same determination should now be applied to other building materials.

Echono’s warning should therefore not be treated as just another statistic. It should be the starting point for a national conversation about the future of Nigeria’s construction industry. The goal should not simply be to replace imports. It should be to build a globally competitive Nigerian building-materials industry capable of meeting domestic demand and eventually exporting to other markets.