Offsite manufacturing in Nigeria: feasibility research and future directions

Nigeria is facing a deficit of 17 million houses due to a myriad of issues. This paper reports on the findings of a feasibility study which investigated Nigerian stakeholders’ perceptions on the needs, promises and barriers of adopting Offsite Manufactured Construction (OSM) in Nigeria, in order to address this challenge. In-depth interviews were conducted with domain experts directly involved in housing delivery, the data of which was analysed using thematic analysis, powered by Nvivo software. Results showed that although OSM could improve housing delivery efforts in Nigeria, any such initiatives to support this was perceived to be considerably low. As such, this study concluded that there is a need for high-level awareness, greater collaboration, investment in training and education, and endorsement/encouragement from the Government. This study presents additional understanding of OSM in Nigeria based on expert opinion, the results of which were used in the development of a framework for the effective adoption of OSM in Nigeria. It is proffered that adopting OSM can help support housing delivery efforts in Nigeria, and may also leverage wider benefits to the construction industry and associated supply chain.