Education
AHMADU Bello University (ABU) and key stakeholders in the built environment have called for stronger collaboration among professionals, academia, industry, and government to advance sustainable and resilient communities.
The call was made at the opening of the 3rd Biennial Environmental Design Conference (EDCON 2026), organised by ABU’s Faculty of Environmental Design, Zaria.
The event was organised in collaboration with the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), architects, and other professionals.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the four-day conference aims to address environmental and urban challenges through multidisciplinary approaches.
Declaring the conference open, ABU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Adamu Ahmed said environmental and urban challenges confronting Sub-Saharan Africa require innovative, data-driven, and multidisciplinary solutions.
Ahmed, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Sambo Bello, said rapid urbanisation and emerging challenges in the building sector had made it necessary for stakeholders to rethink traditional approaches to planning, design, construction, and infrastructure delivery.
“The era of the isolated professional is over. Climate-resilient cities cannot be achieved by any single profession working alone. Integrated approaches remain essential for sustainable development and long-term resilience,” he said.
The vice-chancellor said ABU was demonstrating leadership through its Campus Renewal Initiative, which promotes sustainable development practices, climate-responsive research, innovative technologies, and modern estate management systems across campus.
Delivering a keynote address, NIQS President Dr Aminu Bashir said quantity surveyors must play a central role in ensuring sustainable development projects remain economically viable and deliver value.
According to Bashir, sustainability is not merely a design challenge but also an issue of cost, value, and lifecycle management requiring financial intelligence, affordability, and long-term planning.
He urged professionals in the built environment to embrace lifecycle costing, value engineering, and cost modelling as tools for promoting climate-responsive, resilient, and economically sustainable development outcomes.
Also speaking, CORBON Chairman, Mr Samson Opaluwah, expressed concern over the limited role of universities in national policy development and advocated stronger collaboration among academia, industry, and government.
Opaluwah recommended the Triple Helix Model of development, which promotes synergy among universities, industry, and government institutions to accelerate innovation, knowledge transfer, and sustainable national development efforts.
He challenged universities to strengthen applied research, particularly in sustainable local building materials, resilient construction technologies, and innovative solutions capable of addressing housing and infrastructure deficits.
The CORBON chairman said climate change, rapid urbanisation, environmental degradation, and infrastructure gaps require multidisciplinary approaches that combine expertise across professions to deliver sustainable and resilient communities.
(NAN)
W.U
June 10, 2026
Tags: Mr Samson Opaluwah Prof. Adamu Ahmed Prof. Sambo Bello