Quantity surveyors have been urged to move beyond traditional cost estimation and take the lead in delivering sustainable, resilient and affordable infrastructure as Nigeria pursues its energy-transition and net-zero ambitions.
The call was made at a two-day workshop on “Energy Transition, Sustainable Infrastructure, and the Future of the Construction Industry: Repositioning the Quantity Surveyor for Nigeria’s Green Economy.”
The workshop brought together
quantity surveyors, policymakers, industry experts, invited guests and other stakeholders in the built environment.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), FCT Chapter, QS Ahmed Usman Kankia, said the workshop was designed to equip professionals with the knowledge and tools required to deliver bankable, low-carbon and socially inclusive infrastructure.
Kankia said Nigeria was facing the combined challenges of climate change, energy insecurity, rising infrastructure costs, an infrastructure deficit and rapid population growth.
He therefore called on quantity surveyors to reposition themselves as key players in the country’s green economy.
He said profession’s traditional responsibilities in cost estimation, procurement, contract administration and value engineering must expand to include carbon accounting, whole-life costing, sustainable procurement, climate-risk assessment, environmental, social and governance reporting, circular-economy principles and green-building economics.
“We must move from merely managing costs to managing life-cycle value and
sustainability,” Kankia said, urging participants to leave the workshop with practical commitments rather than certificates alone.
He explained that the workshop would focus on policy, governance, energy transition, the economics of green buildings, sustainable-project risks, resilience, solar costing, digital tools, professional ethics and the skills required by the future quantity surveyor.
Katsina’s renewable-energy experience
The keynote speaker, Dr Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmed, Special Adviser on Power and Energy Development to the Katsina State Governor, highlighted the state’s efforts to reduce energy costs through planning and renewable-energy adoption.
Ahmed said his presentation examined Nigeria’s energy-transition plan, the net-zero agenda, sustainable infrastructure and the future of the construction industry.
He said quantity surveyors should consider not only a project’s initial capital cost, but also its long-term operating, maintenance and energy expenses.
According to him, Katsina State had developed an integrated resource plan, combining a five-year planning framework with a 20-year vision.
The state also conducted a comprehensive energy assessment to determine how existing infrastructure consumes energy and where renewable sources could be deployed.
He identified solar, wind, hydropower and gas-to-power as important options, noting Nigeria’s substantial gas resources and the country’s designation of 2021 to 2030 as the decade of gas. He also linked the state’s approach to Nigeria’s commitment to achieve
net-zero emissions by 2060.
Ahmed said Katsina’s adoption of renewable energy had helped the state save about 93.4 per cent of its energy expenditure, describing the experience as a lesson for professionals involved in infrastructure planning and delivery.
He urged quantity surveyors to make whole-life cost analysis central to their advice, arguing that a project that is cheap to build may become expensive to operate if it relies on inefficient energy systems.
The special adviser further called for stronger public-private partnerships to create jobs for young Nigerians. He said governments could attract investors by providing land, tax incentives and, where necessary, power-purchase agreements.
He added that investment in practical skills, digital tools and the energy sector could help create employment opportunities for young people, stressing that degrees should be complemented by relevant technical and professional skills.
Call for alternatives as costs rise
The Chairman of the Occasion, Hon. Abubakar Yahaya Kusada, who is also the member representing Kankia, Ingawa and Kusada Federal Constituency and Chairman of the NIQS Katsina State Chapter, said the rising cost of living made the search for alternative and sustainable solutions imperative.
Kusada said the increasing cost of energy was placing additional pressure on households, businesses and the construction industry.
He urged workshop participants and paper presenters to develop creative approaches that could reduce costs while preserving sustainability.
He said the National Assembly’s role was mainly to create policies and an enabling environment capable of attracting investment and protecting investors.
However, he maintained that the executive arm of government had a major responsibility to implement policies that would translate into relief for Nigerians.
The lawmaker said tackling the high cost of living would require coordinated action, investment and policies that encouraged alternatives capable of lowering the cost of energy and infrastructure delivery.
Infrastructure must deliver lasting value
In his broader remarks, Kusada said Nigeria’s infrastructure challenge was not simply about building more projects, but about constructing facilities that were smarter, more efficient, sustainable and affordable over their useful lives.
He said quantity surveyors must increasingly serve as strategic advisers who help governments, investors and developers assess the economic, environmental and social value of infrastructure from planning through operation and maintenance.
Citing figures attributed to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2025‒2026, he said the buildings and construction sector accounts for approximately 37 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions and
nearly half of global material extraction.
At the same time, he noted, the sector remains a major contributor to economic growth and employment.
Kusada said this dual role placed a major responsibility on built-environment professionals to ensure that decisions on materials, designs, procurement and investment reflected longterm resource efficiency and sustainability.
He cited solar-energy systems, energy-efficient lighting, natural ventilation, water conservation technologies and durable building materials as measures that could deliver significant savings in energy, maintenance and operating costs, even where they required higher initial investment.
“The cheapest project to construct is not necessarily the most economical project to own, operate and maintain,” he said.
He called for whole-life costing to be integrated into feasibility studies, procurement decisions and investment appraisals so that govts and developers could avoid preventable financial burdens and protect the value of infrastructure assets.
Stronger accountability and professional renewal
The chairman also called for improved public procurement, project monitoring,
expenditure tracking and accountability.
He said the success of public infrastructure should not be judged by the amount approved or spent, but by the lasting value delivered to citizens.
He warned that schools, hospitals and roads that deteriorate soon after completion cannot be regarded as value-for-money investments.
Accurate costing, independent cost
verification, effective contract administration and expenditure monitoring, he said, were essential to improving public-sector accountability.
Kusada urged the NIQS to use the outcome of the workshop to develop practical recommendations for govt institutions, regulators, policymakers and the National Assembly.
He identified continuous professional development, digital transformation, sustainable procurement and interdisciplinary collaboration as four priorities for the profession.
Quantity surveyors, he said, must build competence in renewable-energy costing, carbon management, infrastructure resilience, whole-life asset management, Building Information Modelling, digital measurement and data analytics.
He further encouraged collaboration among quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, builders, environmental specialists, project managers, financial institutions and policymakers from the earliest stages of project conception through construction, operation and maintenance.
Youths and the future of the profession
Both the workshop’s theme and the speakers’ remarks placed strong emphasis on preparing young professionals for emerging opportunities in renewable energy, green building consultancy, sustainable procurement, digital construction management and infrastructure asset management.
Kusada called on the institute, academic institutions, government agencies and the private sector to expand mentorship, practical training, certification, technological exposure and entrepreneurship opportunities for young quantity surveyors.
He said the future of the profession would depend on its willingness to learn, adapt and embrace new technologies while preserving professional ethics, transparency, accountability and integrity.
The workshop ended with a call for participants to translate their discussions into implementable policies and professional practices.
The speakers agreed that Nigeria’s green transition should not be viewed as a threat to the construction industry, but as an opportunity to expand the relevance of quantity surveyors and improve the quality, affordability and durability of national infrastructure.
