Builders Deepen Partnership To Strengthen Profession

The Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the building profession through its partnership with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), describing the collaboration as a significant step for Nigeria, Africa, and the global construction industry.

Speaking during a courtesy visit by CIOB’s Education Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa, Ntando Teddy Khuzwayo, CORBON chairman, Samson Ameh Opaluwa, said the two institutions were determined to work together to strengthen research, improve professional standards, and bridge existing gaps in the industry.

“Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa and it has a large construction industry. We will work together to collaborate with CIOB to bridge that gap and ensure we advance the course of the profession, research and ensure that the practice of building, which we have set up as professionals to use as a platform for improving our society, will actually be furthered by our participation and partnership,” Opaluwa said.

He noted that the building profession in Nigeria has operated in clearly defined professional lines—engineers, architects, town planners, quantity surveyors, estate surveyors, and builders—with the term “building” being uniquely associated with CORBON. Established in 1989, CORBON has spent 35 years developing standards and practices for the profession.

Opaluwa stressed that despite the challenges of Nigeria’s housing deficit, builders view it as an opportunity to provide lasting solutions through innovation and collaboration. He added that the partnership with CIOB would help Nigeria adopt international codes and align with global best practices.

“Recently, the Minister of Housing, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, inaugurated the National Building Code Advisory Committee and CORBON is a member. In our collaboration we will need international coding in other countries to know what is going on there in housing. If this collaboration between us is well managed, it will be a fantastic thing for Nigeria, Africa and the world,” he said.

The CORBON chairman also linked the partnership to the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the Renewed Hope Cities project aimed at delivering affordable housing across states.

On behalf of CIOB, Khuzwayo described the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between both bodies as “very unique” and a reflection of genuine commitment.

“This MoU is not just a piece of paper. We have seen the action and interest of CORBON members and the public, which is a good sign looking at registration and attendance for our first event. This is the first collaborative event in the Sub-Saharan region with CORBON. I want to thank CORBON for the opportunity and we look forward to work with CORBON and to grow the industry as well,” he said.

Both bodies pledged to sustain the partnership as a model of professional collaboration to drive growth in Nigeria’s construction sector and beyond.