The Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) and its Ghanaian counterpart, the Building and Road Research Institute (BRRI), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on research into building and road construction materials.

The institutes signed the MOU on Friday in Ota, Ogun.

Dr Joseph Ali, the NBRRI Director-General, said on the occasion that the MOU would enable both countries to promote capacity development of their local building and road construction materials.

He said this would assist in identifying common challenges to their respective construction institutions as well as encourage the exchange of expertise and technological information.

The director-general said the parties would work closely in all programmes and projects agreed under the agreement so as to strengthen their cooperation and promote effective collaboration between them.

He explained that the collaboration would promote strategies that would facilitate the use of research and development innovations and technologies in alternative building and road construction materials by stakeholders.

Ali said the coming together of the two countries would also ensure the provision of quality and affordable houses as well as good roads.

In addition, it would promote poverty reduction through the setting up of small and medium-scale enterprises in the production of alternative building materials, he said.

In his remarks, the Director of BRRI, Mr Eugene Atiemo, said Ghana had used alternative building materials to construct 650 mass housing projects in the Northern part and 70 classrooms in the Middle Belt of the country.

He added that in 1990, the BRRI constructed hospitals, office buildings, markets, libraries, residential accommodation and roads, using alternative building materials.

Atiemo said the MOU would link both countries to developed and other developing countries with a view to fostering and articulating research and development in the sector. (NAN)