The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Nigeria's construction sector: Lessons from the COVID-19 experience

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 brought all sectors, including the construction industry, to a halt, resulting in the closure of construction sites worldwide. Leveraging the advantages of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies and the digital era could have mitigated some of the challenges faced by the construction industry, yet a certain level of e-readiness is required for its adoption and implementation. This study aims to ascertain the e-readiness of the Nigerian construction industry in adopting 4IR. The study's population consisted of construction professionals in Abuja, Kano, and Kaduna states of Nigeria, using a simple random sampling (SRS) method. The hybrid of VERDICT and CID e-readiness tools (Readiness for the Networked World) was adopted. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the responses based on the respondents’ firms’ sizes. The results revealed significant differences in opinions among various groups (micro, small, medium, and large firms). The Tukey Post Hoc test showed that responses from small and medium-sized organizations did not differ significantly, with a computed significance (p) value of 0.0904. Similarly, respondents from medium and large firms had related views, with a calculated significance (p) value of 0.090. However, comparing responses from small to large firms revealed significant variations, with a calculated significance (p) value of 0.032. Additionally, ANOVA indicated no significant difference in opinions across the nine professional groups despite their different career backgrounds. The study recommends further research to develop a framework for adopting 4IR in the Nigerian construction industry.