Nigeria’s Construction Skills Gap Drives Fresh Push to Train Women in Building Trades
Women receive hands on construction skills training
Nigeria’s construction industry is facing a fresh push to strengthen its skilled labour pool, with HBM Nigeria Plc launching a six-week training programme for 120 women in tiling and block-laying across Lagos and Ogun states.
The initiative is designed to expand the number of trained artisans available to the building sector while increasing women’s participation in construction trades that have traditionally been dominated by men.
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HBM Nigeria, formerly known as Lafarge Africa Plc, is implementing the 2026 Female Tilers and Block-Laying Training programme across three locations: Ayobo and Epe in Lagos State, and Abeokuta in Ogun State. Forty women are participating at each location.
HBM Nigeria Targets 120 Women With Construction Skills
The six-week programme combines practical construction training with business and professional development.
Participants are receiving hands-on instruction in wall and floor tiling and block-laying, while the wider curriculum covers entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital tools, business management, soft skills and sustainable construction practices.
The programme also includes health and safety training, circular economy principles, practical project work and mentorship. Participants are expected to complete capstone projects in tiling and masonry before graduating.
The Lagos component is being delivered in partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and other relevant state stakeholders following a joint orientation and launch.
Skilled Labour Remains Critical to Housing Delivery
The availability of trained artisans is an important part of Nigeria’s housing delivery capacity.
Housing construction depends on a broad network of skilled workers, including masons, tilers, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, welders and other technical trades. Shortages in these areas can affect construction timelines, workmanship and the cost of delivering housing projects.
The issue is particularly relevant as Nigeria increases investment in housing and infrastructure. Large-scale projects generate demand not only for building materials and finance but also for the skilled workforce required to convert development plans into completed structures.
Recent NHM reporting on the Gwagwalada housing project illustrates the employment potential of construction activity, with more than 1,900 workers engaged during the excavation phase of a major housing development.
However, sustaining construction activity requires a labour force with the technical capacity to move projects through successive stages of development.
Training Opens Construction Opportunities for Women
HBM Nigeria said the programme is also intended to create sustainable economic opportunities for women, particularly those from underserved communities.
Viola Graham-Douglas, Director of Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development at HBM Nigeria, said skills development can provide women with pathways into sustainable livelihoods while addressing their under-representation in skilled construction trades.
Beyond technical training, participants are being introduced to business registration, digital skills, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and professional associations. The broader objective is to help beneficiaries develop the capacity to turn acquired construction skills into viable businesses and careers.
This creates a potential link between skills development and the expansion of small construction enterprises, particularly for artisans who can progress from individual contracts to more structured businesses.
Programme Builds on Earlier Women-Focused Training
The current initiative builds on HBM Nigeria's previous women-focused programmes.
The company previously operated the BuildHer by Lafarge initiative, which trained 100 women across Lagos, Ogun and Cross River states, following an earlier cohort of 40 women.
The latest programme therefore represents a continuation of efforts to increase female participation in the building and construction sector while developing technical and entrepreneurial capacity.
HBM Nigeria has also been expanding its broader construction-materials capacity. In July, the company said it planned to add 4.5 million tonnes of cement production capacity through expansions at its Sagamu plant in Ogun State and Ashaka facility in Gombe State.
Skills Development Could Support Construction Productivity
For the housing market, the significance of skills development extends beyond employment.
A stronger pool of trained artisans can support developers and contractors as construction activity expands, while improved technical knowledge can contribute to better workmanship, safety and project execution.
Training in areas such as sustainable construction and circular economy practices could also become increasingly relevant as developers and building-material manufacturers respond to changing environmental and efficiency requirements.
However, skills development alone cannot resolve the broader constraints affecting housing delivery. Access to affordable finance, high building-material costs, land administration, infrastructure deficits and household purchasing power remain significant factors influencing the pace and affordability of residential development.
Outlook
The training of 120 women in Lagos and Ogun highlights the growing importance of skilled labour development alongside Nigeria’s housing and construction ambitions.
For the property sector, expanding the pool of trained artisans could strengthen the construction value chain if such programmes translate into sustained employment, entrepreneurship and participation in formal building projects.
As housing construction expands across Nigeria, the ability to develop and retain a sufficiently skilled workforce will remain an important component of converting housing investment into completed and usable homes.
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