The Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE) has advocated collaboration by policymakers, regulators, academia, professionals, practitioners and stakeholders to proffer solutions on the challenges affecting the growth and development of the civil engineering sector and economy.

The body made the call at the maiden edition of Construction Expo Africa and NICE's first ever international exhibition and fair that brought all the stakeholders in the built environment together to discuss the future of the industry.

Speaking to journalists at the Expo in Lagos, the National Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (NICE), Virgilus Chukwudi Ezugu said, "The essence of the Expo is to bring all the practitioners of civil engineering into one roof - the academia, the professionals or people teaching in Universities. We have the manufacturing engineers manufacturing civil engineering products, regulators, COREN, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, the research institutes, like Nigerian Building and Roads Research Institutes, the Lagos State Public Works Corporation, the policymakers, building professionals, the civil engineers, consultants and other material service companies so that we can synergise and proffer solutions to the challenges of civil engineering in Nigeria."

According to Engr. Ezugu, "this exhibition and fair was conceived out of the need to bridge the gap between academia, professionals and industry in order to consciously work in synergy to solve the mirage of civil infrastructure deficits and failures of available ones.

"From humongous housing deficit of about 28 million units in 2023 up from 20 million units in 2018 to dilapidated highways, very poor rail transport system, chaotic air transport system to inadequate potable water etc. our dear country is faced with gross inadequacy in civil infrastructure."