The objective of this study is to assess the strategic Impact of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) in the rural banking sector and the benefits of introducing ICT in Ghana. SPSS and Microsoft Excel were used to analyze the responses. The study reveals that the Atiwa Rural Bank lacks the desired technologies to support its operations but also had the advantages of limitation of customers' waiting time, fast business with customers, cut down on its operating costs, provision of convenient banking services to its customers and attraction of a large customer base thereby increasing its revenue volume and also experiencing a sharp increase in its profit level since the deployment of Information, Communication, and Technology into its systems. Again, Lack of funds, as well as restrictive ICT policies by supervisory bodies like the Bank of Ghana and the ARB Apex Bank, were found to be influencing against the utilization of Information, Communication, and Technology. The study recommended that the management of Atiwa rural banks should attempt to bring on board more innovative technologies to help the bank survive the current wave of competition in the banking industry so as to contribute its roles to the economic development of the nation.

Sustainable development is means to balance the needs of the present and future generations without compromise. However, achieving such a feat may be less challenging for developed countries, but it is a big challenge and more complicated for developing countries like Nigeria, located in West Africa. Nigeria’s population is about 200million and growing, which comes with its prospects, needs, and challenges such as the need for more infrastructure and industries to reduce poverty and create more employment opportunities. Other challenges include addressing housing shortages, disposal of domestic and industrial wastes, curbing industrial pollutions, providing cleaner and drinking water for domestic purposes, need for more power supply, increased food, material production, and consumptions etc. altogether, they must be within a balanced ecosystem and environmentally sustainable biodiversity within the built environment. This paper assessed and discussed the determinant factors related to sustaining sustainable development in Nigeria to offer more insight into such factors, paving ways of addressing such issues. A sequential mixed methodology was adopted in the study to collect and analyze the data on such factors. The results show that Stakeholders Awareness and Interests; Funding; Policy framework, Infrastructure project planning, and execution; corruption were among the most significant impact factors that sustained Nigeria’s built environment’s sustainable developments. Depending on the project type, such factors can promote or hinder sustainable developments in the built environment based on their levels of impacts.

Sustainable development encompasses all the efforts to balance both the present and future generations’ needs without compromise by making important and wiser decisions. However, achieving such a feat may be less complicated for some developed countries, but it is a dilemma and more complicated for developing countries like Nigeria, whose population is increasing annually. Every population growth comes with its prospects, needs, and challenges. These include the need for investments, economic diversification, and upgrading various industries to compete globally, poverty eradication, creating more employment opportunities, increasing income and wealth to the population and the government. These are often more prioritized than avoiding adverse effects on the environment when infrastructural projects become the medium for such. Hence, this paper was structured to identify, review and discuss the conundrum that leads to paradoxical issues about socio-economics of a sustainable built environment from developing countries with Nigeria as a focal point. A desk research methodology was adopted in the study, and the results show the relationship between socio-economic pressures and targets of developing countries with the SDGs targets for sustainable development within the built environment.

Between 1996 and 2005, the domestic sector was responsible for over half (55% -61%) of energy consumption in Nigeria. In addition, electrical energy used for cooling makes a significant contribution to national consumption. In the larger context of climate change and its accompanying adverse effects, it is important for architecture to reduce its global carbon footprint. Developing nations lack sufficient building performance standards, and as a consequence, sustainable building methods are neither pursued nor enforced. Thus, in the absence of high-tech green building practices, this paper seeks to evaluate how simpler passive means of design can be used to reduce cooling energy consumption in Northeast Nigeria’s hot dry climate. DesignBuilder is used to produce different building orientation iterations to evaluate their impact on cooling loads and an ideal building orientation is determined for the region. An optimal orientation of 270° is found to be optimal, as it reduces maximum cooling loads from 11150.95 kwh/yr to 9981.1 kwh/yr, a reduction of energy use of 10.5%.