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PurposeDeveloping countries in sub-Saharan Africa are faced with significant challenges as the economies continue to emerge. There is a huge infrastructural demand and various efforts to step up supply. Whilst stepping up the supply, the environmental concerns of these supplies require a lot of attention. With the need to reduce the environmental impact of buildings whilst promoting a green infrastructure, various studies have explored the obstacles to green building technology adoption. This study explores the impediments to the development of the green building market in sub-Saharan Africa.Design/methodology/approachUsing building consultants as the unit of analysis, this study explores the impediments using a structured survey questionnaire. The study area is Ghana, an emerging country in sub-Saharan Africa.FindingsKey impediments to the development of the market is lack of awareness, lack of education and lack of fiscal incentives. The analysis shows that all the variables identified are significant in impeding the growth of the market. The results suggest that within the domain of developing countries, environmental issues may not be of immediate concern as economic issues take centre stage. For sustainability of the environment, it is unequivocal that dissemination of knowledge to key stakeholders be done.Practical implicationsAcademic institutions and professional bodies have a pivotal role to play in raising awareness of green buildings. Governmental support such as various structures should be put in place to build up the local capacity of firms not only to compete with foreign counterparts but also to ensure innovative delivery of green buildings.Originality/valueThe paper presents contextual realities on the green market restrictions within developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa through a deeper understanding of market barriers and recommends pathways for stakeholders.

Studies have indicated that mass housing projects (MHPs) possess unique multiple site management features (MCS) that significantly induce communication challenges among the project team in its delivery. However, the paucity in these studies is the failure to determine the extent and nature of the communication challenges and ineffectiveness that are inherent in the multiple site management features of MHPs. Through the use of structured questionnaire survey, this study used structural equation modelling to determine the nature and extent of the contribution of the MCS features of MHPs to communication performance among the MHP team. The results showed that the MCS features of MHPs significantly induce both information flow and information composition communication ineffectiveness. The results further revealed misunderstanding, inaccuracies, distorted communication and difficulty in communication dissemination as the dominant inherent MCS communication ineffectiveness among MHP teams. The findings provide empirical support for the general hypothesis that multiple site management features of MHPs significantly contribute to project team information flow and information-composition-related communication ineffectiveness among project teams. The understanding of the related communication challenges inherent from the MCS features of MHPs is thus very essential towards evolving and adapting effective communication planning, management strategies, concepts and approaches necessary to engender managerial and communication efficiencies in mass housing delivery.

Purpose -The industrial training component in a university's curricula adds tremendous value to a degree programme by enhancing the employable skills of graduates. The purpose of this paper is to assess the perception of organisations that have trained construction students from the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, as part of its industrial training programme. Design/methodology/approach -Through a structured questionnaire survey of 120 organisations which have offered industrial training to construction students in the Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast metropolitan areas of Ghana, the paper assessed industry's views on issues relating to the nature and objectives of industrial training, preparation towards training, performance of students during training, effectiveness of the training and areas of improvement. Data collected through the survey were analysed using largely descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings -In the opinion of the training organisations, industrial training exposes students to real work environment and helps them to apply theory to practice. During industrial training, the trainees showed high level of performance achievement in their ability to carry out instructions, ability to function as team players and ability to apply knowledge gained from the university among others. However, they showed a low level of performance achievement in negotiation skills, independence, social and multi-racial awareness and ability to make decisions. Major areas requiring improvement in the way industrial training is currently organised include: the need for learning institutions to provide guidelines for industrial training for use by host organisations and to monitor trainees during industrial training; training organisations should design training programmes which emphasise all competencies, appoint industrial supervisors and submit industrial feedback to learning institutions. Practical implications -The findings from the study will not only make industrial training programmes in Ghana and other developing countries more effective and successful towards the improvement of skills of trainees and thereby increase their chances of employment after graduation but also provide a reliable source of highly skilled and educated workers and an expanded pool of qualified future employees. Originality/value -The paper provides a basis for enhancing and developing effective IT practices as well as providing indicators for evaluating existing IT practices in Ghanaian and other universities in developing countries to positively influence future employees of the construction industry.

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