FG to build bamboo houses for low and medium income earners

The federal government says it will use bamboo plants only to build affordable and durable smart houses for low—and medium-income earners across the country. 

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mrs. Esuabana Nko Asanye, disclosed this in Abuja on Wednesday, June 11. 

She pointed out that bamboo, with other proven technologies can provide a scalable solution to the housing needs of Nigeria’s growing population without exploitation of the environment. 

She added that the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) Technologies, an agency under the ministry, is embarking on solving the diverse needs within Nigeria’s housing sector using green technologies, which include using only bamboo plants for smart houses. 

Mrs. Esuabana, who was represented by the Director of Environmental Science Technology (EST), Mrs. Benadette Oguche, made this statement at a One-Day Capacity Building Workshop on the Relevance of Bamboo for Climate-Smart Housing Construction: Integrating Nigerian Building Road Research Institute (NBRRI) Technologies in Reducing Carbon Footprint, in Abuja. 

Esuabana explained that by adopting only bamboo plants for smart houses, Nigeria will not only promote environmental sustainability but also ensure that the construction process aligns with principles of adaptability, comfort and affordability for both low and medium-income earners in the country. 

The Permanent Secretary also stated that she believes that the knowledge gained from the workshop would help overcome the challenges that lie ahead, which include high initial capital cost, unstable supply of raw materials among others.