ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the challenges for African countries regarding the adoption of sustainable design and construction. After considering general challenges of sustainable design and construction, those that are peculiar to Africa are discussed. Some of these challenges include the poverty of the people and the nation, the lack of healthcare service, inequality in the distribution of wealth among the people, fear of change from conventional construction to sustainable construction, corruption in governance and environmental pollution. The chapter also pinpoints areas of the existing sustainable design and construction tools that are not compatible with the African situation. Examples include the variance in the climatic conditions of developed and developing countries, cultural differences and assumptions that electricity supply is constant.
