RICS to deepen global best practices, warns of slowing global demand for sustainable buildings

By : Victor Gbonegun

Date: 1 December 2025 1:25am WAT

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Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening global best practices in Nigeria’s built environment as it moves to strengthen local partnerships and promote higher standards of professionalism across the sector.

Speaking during an engagement with property journalists in Lagos, RICS Managing Director for the Middle East & Africa, Geoffrey Dobson, said the organisation is intensifying support for its Nigeria group and deepening collaboration with government and private practitioners.

“We’re committed as the RICS International to support the government of Nigeria, the other agencies and RICS Nigeria,” Dobson said. He revealed that discussions with the Lagos State Deputy Governor underscored both the opportunities and the challenges facing Africa’s most populous city from housing pressure to infrastructure gaps.

“That acknowledgment recognises the role RICS can play in shaping solutions across the built environment,” he added.

For RICS Governing Council member, Uche Obi, the profession faces a growing challenge: attracting the next generation of surveyors. He noted that the competition for skilled talent has become global, requiring professional bodies to become more intentional in grooming young entrants.

“What Knight Frank is doing through their academy is amazing,” Obi said. “That’s something RICS can replicate not just in Nigeria but around the world.”

Obi added that RICS’ global research footprint equips it to advice governments more effectively, leveraging lessons from the United Kingdom, the U.S., Europe and other markets to support policy reform and professional development in Nigeria.

Chairman of the RICS Nigeria Group, Tayo Odunsi, disclosed that the institution’s presence in Nigeria spans 63 years. He said collaboration between the local group and its international arm has always existed, but is now “significantly strengthened.”

Beyond capacity building, RICS is also sounding the alarm on a worrying dip in global demand for sustainable buildings.

5Its 2025 Sustainability Report, based on insights from over 3,500 professionals across 36 countries, reveals that enthusiasm for green and climate-resilient projects is weakening in several regions.

According to the report, demand growth has slowed significantly in the Americas, driven partly by shifts in U.S. policy. Interest is also softening across Europe, the U.K., and the Asia-Pacific (APAC).

The Middle East and Africa (MEA), however, stand out as the only regions where momentum for sustainable buildings continues to strengthen. RICS warns that despite investor appreciation for green certifications, high upfront costs, limited returns visibility, and low awareness, particularly in MEA and APAC remain significant barriers.

A further concern is the rising number of professionals who do not measure embodied carbon in their projects. Forty-six per cent of construction experts surveyed said they do not measure embodied carbon, a figure that has increased over the last year. Only 16 per cent say carbon calculations significantly influence material choices.

The report underscores the need for urgent capacity building, climate literacy and adoption of circular economy principles. Although more than 70 per cent of respondents believe they have some knowledge of sustainable construction, familiarity with key concepts such as whole-life carbon, remains low.

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