Sustainably Dr Gaz, Lekki, Lagos (2026)

19/05/2026

It may take some wittiness to drive home this climate action message.

Launching a monthly newsletter with a reflection of work life in Abuja, Nigeria's capital city where mansions of concrete, glass and SpongeBob windows could be leading to a climate doom loop.

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Are We in a Building Boom or Climate Doom Loop?
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15/05/2026

Standing before this poetic and technological edifice, I think “building materials are expensive” is no longer a sufficient excuse for why we are not building better homes and cities across Africa.

The built environment sector is undergoing unprecedented transformation with the rise of AI-native operations, geopolitical fragmentation, and sustainability mandates reshaping how we design and construct spaces.

Given the ambition and rising costs shaping Africa’s construction industry, I wanted to explore what is possible. So, I joined built-environment professionals and exhibitors at at ExCeL London.

One of the highlights was experiencing Anti Ruin, a documentary installation featured in the main exhibition. Anti Ruin is an open-ended system that transforms stone dust and demolition waste into new spatial forms through large-scale 3D printing.

This work by Ozruh reminds me that despite Africa’s abundance of natural resources, our architecture and construction systems must rethink material use by embracing adaptation, reuse, and circular construction as core principles rather than constraints. Reusing demolition materials presents a major opportunity for sustainable infrastructure and affordable housing across Africa through innovations such as:

- Crushed concrete reused as aggregates for foundations and paving

- High-density polyethene transformed into strong, lightweight, cost-effective bricks

- Scrap steel, copper, and aluminium repurposed for new construction systems

- Salvaged timber reused for structural applications and refurbishment

The future of African construction may not depend on depleting more natural resources, but on reimagining what we already have to build resilient, sustainable cities.

So, how can Africa scale circular construction and sustainable building materials without compromising affordability and growth? I would love to hear the views of architects, engineers, and founders on building homes in Africa using demolished materials.

13/04/2026

Every image. Every word, tells a story.

I keep seeing bold headlines like “the death of ESG” or “the burial of CSR.”

Whenever I do, I look first at the author’s jurisdiction and what might be shaping what is often a narrow view of a very global practice. More often than not, these perspectives come from sectors where sustainability has become highly polarised, and the analysis reflects a position taken within that debate.

From where I stand as a practitioner and sociologist exploring the , the reality looks very different. My work spans three key jurisdictions, and what I observe reinforces a point I may not have made often enough: the importance of applying nuance in storytelling.

Let’s start with the United States 🇺🇸

We all see the policy changes by Trump's administration, federal ambition on climate has declined, and mixed messaging has led some businesses to scale back ESG commitments. This has created fatigue among practitioners and, in some cases, reduced funding. But that’s not the full story, as I have seen on LinkedIn with the number of US jobs in sustainability. Growth is evident in financial services (ESG risk and green investment products) tech & AI (automating ESG reporting, optimising energy), manufacturing, and legal roles.

Africa (excluding South Africa)

Here, sustainability is being driven top-down through governance, but is still maturing in ex*****on. Since 2025, the landscape has changed rapidly. Countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are moving toward adopting IFRS S1 and S2. This has triggered a surge in new entrants to the field, a predominance of generalists and growing demand for training and advisory services. There is not enough market appetite for sustainable products, and the informal sector and SMEs participate without structure. While some regions talk about decline, this market is 'green' with opportunities.

United Kingdom🇬🇧

With the finalisation of the UK SRS in early 2026, I see the focus shift to audit-ready data. Hiring here is strongest in real estate, infrastructure, and energy. Sustainability isn't siloed, it is being embedded into th

17/03/2026

Is voluntary storytelling driving the ESG credibility gap?

Let me answer with a story.

Layti Ndiaye, a mining leader in Senegal, grew up near the Mbao forest—where nature wasn’t a concept, but a lived reality. Years later, from his office, he watched women from nearby communities carry heavy loads of firewood daily. That moment shaped his approach to sustainability.

At the mine, his team didn’t start with frameworks. They started with context:

* A fruit garden with 300+ trees to support biodiversity and community trust

* A “green wall” to reduce dust between the mine and the village

* A local committee including traditional leaders, youth, and community voices

This work is now captured in a sustainability report aligned with global standards like the **Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)**, with external assurance and stakeholder testimonials.

And that’s the point.

The issue isn’t storytelling.

It’s storytelling without context.

Too much ESG reporting is:
* Generic
* Imported
* Disconnected from local realities

But sustainability frameworks may be global—**impact is always local**.

If ESG in Africa is to be credible, it must reflect:
* Local livelihoods
* Social dynamics
* Resource dependencies
* Community voices

Otherwise, we risk producing reports that meet regulatory compliance requirements—but miss the truth.

So the real question is not whether storytelling is the problem.

It’s this:

👉 *Whose story are we telling—and how grounded is it in reality?*

Address

Lekki
Lagos

Website

http://www.igazeuma.com/

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