Macroeconomic sustainability of the construction industry in Sub-Saharan Africa

The contribution of construction to the national economy and its role in socio-economic development has been dealt with by various writers and international organizations, and many of them have focused on developing countries. In a macroeconomic perspective, a particular feature is that construction is the only sector of the economy that appears twice in the national accounts of any country: a major component of fixed capital formation; and as a sector that contributes to the gross national product. Another main aspect derived from a seminal work in the field is that there is a changing development pattern of the construction industry based on the stage of development of a country´s economy. The role of construction infrastructure in the process of development has gained a new stimulus following the United Nations Declaration at the Millennium Summit in New York, 2000, where 8 millennium development goals (MDGs), measured through 21 targets, were devised. Some of the MDGs and the soon-to-be adopted sustainable development goals (SDGs), also at the United Nations Conference, September, 2015, have to do with construction infrastructure and/or the services rendered by these infrastructures. As each country is the main responsible for its own economic and social progress and in the face of macroeconomic constraints in many parties of the developing world, an important question that arises is how a well-functioning construction industry could contribute to the attainment of those targets. Using most recent data drawn from United Nations and The World Bank publications, and making use of an analysis developed in previous works, this study presents some insights of the development of the construction industry in two groups of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to their level of economic development. Some preliminary recommendations aimed at public policy development are also drawn.