The Construction and Building Materials Industries for Sustainable Development in Developing Countries: Appropriate and Innovative Local Building Materials and Technologies for Housing in the Sudan

The construction industry (CI) in developing countries (DCs) faces multitude challenges confronting its improved performance and development. Similar to many developing countries, the Sudan faces severe problems in its construction sector which should be seriously addressed and eliminated. Problems related to building materials (BMs) production, supply and management tend to dominate the list of impediments to the development of the Sudanese Construction Industry (SCI). The main objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive and elaborate review and analysis of the construction and building materials industries in the Sudan focusing on locally produced building materials and building technologies employed in the provision of housing. The research aimed to delineate the significance of the construction industry in the socioeconomic development in the Sudan and to assess the potentials of the country in selfsufficiency of key building materials. It reviewed the status quo of the Sudanese Construction Industry (SCI) and the Sudanese Building Materials Industry (SBMI) by investigating the role of construction in the socio-economic development of the country. The study examined the causality relationship between construction and the economy as a whole and its subsectors employing statistical tests, namely the Granger causality test. Data pertaining to the performance of the Sudanese economy during 1982-2009 were employed for the analysis. The study explored the possibility of producing BMs locally in terms of raw materials availability and distribution. The underlying research demonstrated the role that innovation and technology transfer (TT) could possibly play in the adoption of appropriate materials and technologies. It examined the role of globalization, innovation and technology transfer in the development of the CI in the Sudan and the extent of its effectiveness. Case studies were helpful in understanding the mechanisms through which innovative and appropriate technologies are transferred. These case studies covered projects - involving transfer of technology - developed by; research institutes, governmental authorities, national and international NGOs, private sector companies and individual practitioners. The study attempted to evaluate the application of appropriate building materials and technologies for housing in the Sudan by reviewing research efforts in the field and highlighting the potential role that technology transfer could play. A comparative analysis, based on costeffectiveness and environmental impact, was performed to assess the appropriateness of selected building materials and technologies applied or recently introduced in the Sudan. Based on available literature, a generic model was proposed for the categorization of problems facing the SCI. The underlying research scrutinized the challenges facing the SCI and the SBMI and the factors affecting the utilization of local building materials (LBMs). It measured the relative importance of the factors influencing the development of the construction and building materials industries in the country. Ranking these factors forms a reference for the formulation of strategies and policies for the development of the CI to take its due place in the socioeconomic development of the nation. Moreover, the research indicated the interrelationship between these factors, whereby scenarios could be developed for the improvement of the construction sector performance. The study also examined the importance of the factors affecting successful transference of technology for the adoption of appropriate building materials and technologies. A questionnaire was constructed and circulated to different stakeholders of the SCI for the purpose of collecting primary data about the impediments to the development of the SCI and the SBMI. The research proposed a causality model to demonstrate how the successfulness of technology transfer is influenced by the level of awareness of the benefits associated with technology transfer. The subject study provided a set of recommendations for the purpose of attaining sustained development in the construction and building materials industries in the Sudan. Most of these recommendations are expected to be handled by the government and the professional intuitions jointly with other stakeholders of the SCI. The study also identified areas where further research is required.