FG Introduces Climate-Smart Building Code to Reduce Carbon Emissions

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The Federal Government has announced a major overhaul of Nigeria's National Building Code, introducing climate-smart construction standards and energy efficiency requirements to reduce carbon emissions from buildings across the country. The move is part of broader efforts to align Nigeria's housing and construction sector with global climate commitments and sustainable urban development goals.

At the National Kick-off Workshop for the Development of the National Decarbonization and Resilience Roadmap for Nigeria's Buildings and Construction Sector in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, disclosed that the revised building code will integrate climate-smart construction standards, energy efficiency requirements, sustainable building materials, disaster-risk reduction measures, and resilient design principles.

The minister, represented by the Director of Urban and Regional Development in the ministry, Mrs. Margaret Adejobi, said the revised National Building Code will significantly reduce emissions from the built environment while improving the safety, durability, and performance of buildings nationwide. The code will also ensure that buildings across the country are safer, more resilient, and environmentally sustainable.

According to the minister, the review of the National Building Code is part of broader reforms by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to align Nigeria's housing and construction sector with global climate commitments and sustainable urban development goals. The ministry has secured Federal Executive Council approval for the reviewed National Urban Development Policy.

The revised building code is expected to play a key role in reducing carbon emissions from Nigeria's built environment. The code will also ensure that buildings across the country are safer, more resilient, and environmentally sustainable.

As Nigeria's rapid urbanisation makes it imperative to rethink how cities and buildings are planned, designed, and managed, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is driving policies and programmes that promote sustainable urbanization, resilient infrastructure, climate-responsive housing, and low-carbon development pathways.

The minister called for accelerated nationwide adoption and enforcement of the revised National Building Code, listing the need to accelerate nationwide adoption and effective enforcement of the reviewed National Building Code, expand green financing for affordable housing, encourage local production of climate-resilient building materials and establish a National Urban Observatory to support evidence-based planning.

The future of Nigeria's cities and settlements will be determined by the choices we make today. Decarbonization and resilience are no longer optional aspirations; they are development imperatives.

Earlier, Chairman of the National Multistakeholder Working Group for Decarbonized and Resilient Buildings, Tpl. Grace Bitrus, described the roadmap as a transformative initiative that will reshape Nigeria's construction sector in response to climate change. The roadmap is expected to play a key role in reducing carbon emissions from Nigeria's built environment.