The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has unveiled a series of locally developed machines and technologies aimed at reducing housing construction costs and promoting sustainable building practices across Nigeria.
Speaking during a demonstration of the inventions, the Director of the Federal Public Assets Maintenance Department, Ibechile Egwudale, highlighted the ministry’s commitment to leveraging local materials and innovation to tackle the nation’s housing challenges.
“This innovation supports the use of locally sourced materials, reducing dependence on expensive imported products and minimising construction costs, especially for affordable housing,” Egwudale said.
The innovations showcased include manual and semi-automated machines for producing compressed earth blocks, pulverisers, sand sifters, sandcrete mixers, compacting and hoisting equipment, mini-tractors, as well as food-processing tools like ogbono seed cutters, de-stoners, and hammer mills.
According to Egwudale, the adoption of Compressed Earth Block technology will not only reduce construction expenses but also promote eco-friendly practices, create jobs, and speed up project delivery in both rural and urban areas.
The Honourable Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa, and the Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore, commended the initiative and described it as a bold step toward localising Nigeria’s housing solutions.
“Carry out further research and make comparisons to see areas of modification and improvement,” the Minister advised. He also requested an extensive report on integrating brick construction into the national Social Housing Programme.
Belgore added, “Bring up the designs of the brick housing units to the Ministry for assessment,” while encouraging the director to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation in public infrastructure development.
