At a packed hall in Abuja, the mood was familiar: papers rustling, seasoned surveyors exchanging notes, and conversations about cost, contracts, and deadlines. Yet the keynote message that morning was anything but routine.
Kashifu Inuwa, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), delivered a challenge that felt more like a turning point than a speech.
His call was simple, but bold: “Nigeria’s construction industry must move from blueprints to bytes.”
Represented by Dr. Yahaya Onimisi, acting director of Project Management, Inuwa spoke at the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) FCT Chapter workshop, themed “Policy Shifts and Industry Trends.” For him, digital transformation is no longer a luxury—it is the backbone of the future.
The Case for Change
Project delays. Cost overruns. Inefficiencies. Resistance to change. These are the recurring pains of Nigeria’s construction sector. But Inuwa sees technology not just as a fix, but as an entirely new foundation.
He painted a vivid picture of how Building Information Modelling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain, Data Analytics, and Cloud Collaboration could revolutionize project delivery. Imagine quantity surveyors who no longer shuffle piles of blueprints but instead navigate 3D models, predict costs with AI-driven accuracy, and validate contracts through blockchain transparency.
From Cost Counters to Strategic Drivers
For Inuwa, the shift is also about people. He described a future where Nigeria’s Quantity Surveyors evolve from routine number-crunchers into strategic, data-driven decision-makers. “Digital transformation is not merely about adopting new technology but about fundamentally changing business processes, culture, and skills,” he said.
Building Together
The DG didn’t stop at technology; he called for partnerships, between NITDA and NIQS, and across professional bodies. He highlighted capacity building, innovation labs, and sector-specific digital roadmaps aligned with NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) 2.0 as practical steps forward.
It’s not the first time NITDA has partnered with professionals. Inuwa cited collaborations with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) as proof that with the right alliances, digital disruption can become digital opportunity.
A Future Under Construction
For Nigeria’s builders, the message was clear: the future of construction isn’t cement and steel alone, it is data, collaboration, and innovation.
“By embracing a mindset of continuous learning, investing strategically in technology, and fostering strong collaborations, Nigerian Quantity Surveyors can not only survive the technological disruption but thrive in it,” Inuwa concluded.
The applause that followed wasn’t just polite, it carried a sense that a blueprint for the future had just been drawn. Only this time, it wasn’t on paper. It was in bytes.
