Procurement Unleashed: A Material Breakthrough

In cities from Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso to Bamenda in Cameroon, a quiet revolution is taking root. Not with slogans, but with soil. Not with steel, but with stalks.

The age of carbon-heavy construction is starting to lose its grip. But whether this transformation becomes mainstream depends not only on imaginative design. It hinges on how governments choose to build — and more specifically, on the often-overlooked power of public procurement.

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What Is Public Procurement?

Public procurement is the system through which governments select contractors to design and construct infrastructure — such as schools, clinics, roads, and administrative buildings. It defines:

• Who builds public infrastructure
  
• What materials they use
  
• What standards they follow
  

In short, procurement is where climate ambition collides with regulatory frameworks, budget constraints, and bureaucratic defaults.

To change how we build, we must change how we choose.

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West and North West Africa Are Rich in Sustainable Materials

From Senegal to Nigeria, and from Mali to Cameroon, the region is not short of viable, low-impact building materials.

Two of the most promising are:

• Laterite – A reddish soil rich in iron and aluminium oxides, found widely across West Africa. It can be compressed into blocks or compacted using traditional methods to create strong, breathable walls.
  
• Bamboo – A fast-growing, tall grass with timber-like strength and flexibility. When properly treated, bamboo can be used structurally in walls, floors, roofs, and even bridges.
  

These materials are not nostalgic throwbacks or design novelties. They are modern, adaptable, and entirely appropriate to local climates and building traditions.

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What Processing Do They Require?

Crucially, bamboo and laterite are not used raw. But unlike concrete and steel, their processing is low-carbon, low-energy, and community-scalable.

Laterite

Laterite must be stabilised — a process of mixing small amounts of lime (or sometimes cement) into the earth to improve its strength, water resistance, and load-bearing properties. Once stabilised, it is compressed into blocks or compacted into wall moulds using rammed earth techniques.

Bamboo

Bamboo requires several steps to make it safe and durable:

• Sugar Extraction and Leaching
  Bamboo is soaked in hot water and sometimes a salt solution (e.g., using sodium carbonate found in natural lake salts from East Africa) to extract sugars and starches. These organic sugars attract insects, so removing them increases durability.
  
• Carbonisation
  A low-temperature heating process that dries the bamboo and increases resistance to fungal and insect attack.
  
• Lamination
  Thin strips of bamboo are glued and pressed into larger beams. This improves strength and allows consistent structural performance — ideal for roof trusses or load-bearing components.
  

These treatments require much less energy than producing steel or Portland cement and can often be carried out using low-tech equipment in decentralised workshops.

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Why Aren’t We Using Them More Widely?

Despite their availability and benefits, bamboo and laterite are routinely excluded from public construction projects.

Why?

Because most procurement frameworks, technical guidelines, and architectural tender documents default to concrete and steel. These materials are considered “standard”. Anything else — even if locally available and scientifically sound — is classified as “experimental”.

That classification is outdated, inaccurate, and obstructive.

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Case Studies: Where Innovation Is Already Happening

Some projects across the region are already leading the way — but often outside formal government frameworks:

Dano Secondary School (Dano, Burkina Faso)

Architect Francis Kéré used stabilised laterite blocks, deep overhangs, and passive ventilation to create climate-resilient classrooms. Built by local artisans, this project proves traditional materials can meet modern needs.

Centre for Earth Architecture (Mopti, Mali)

Constructed using compressed laterite blocks with minimal cement. Features include vaulted ceilings and passive cooling. Built in collaboration with local masons and earth-building specialists.

Nigeria – Bamboo-Laterite Housing Prototypes (Ile-Ife and Middle Belt)

At Obafemi Awolowo University, researchers in collaboration with NGOs have developed prototypes that combine engineered bamboo frames with laterite infill. These hybrid structures are low-cost, low-emission, and culturally appropriate.

Tunisia – Earth Building Demonstrations (Gabès and Tataouine)

Renewed interest in rammed earth and earthbag construction is being supported by universities and environmental design labs in arid zones of southern Tunisia. Research focuses on thermal mass, affordability, and seismic resilience.

Morocco – High Atlas Adobe and Rammed Earth Projects (Rural High Atlas)

While bamboo is still underused, adobe and rammed earth construction continues in rural Morocco — combining thermal comfort, material circularity, and vernacular style. NGOs and heritage groups are working to revitalise these practices with modern adaptations.

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A Hybrid Approach Makes Sense

This is not a binary choice between local and industrial materials.

Concrete and steel still have their place — for foundations, structural cores, and seismic zones. But they should be used strategically, not by default.

Examples of hybrid construction include:

• Rammed earth walls paired with bamboo cladding or screens
  
• Selective use of rebar (short for “reinforcing bar”) — steel rods used to strengthen concrete in tension
  
• Substitution of standard concrete with geopolymer concrete, which emits far less carbon
  

The goal is not material purity. It is a sustainable approach rooted in circular principles and contextual balance — building with what works best for the environment, the people, and the place.

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What Procurement Reform Looks Like

To scale these approaches, public procurement policies must evolve. Here’s how:

1. Update Building Codes

Government building regulations must recognise laterite, bamboo, adobe, and other earth materials as legitimate structural options — supported by engineering data and updated performance standards.

2. Reform Tender Specifications

Procurement documents must include baseline options for local and natural materials. This may involve mandating a minimum percentage of local content in publicly funded buildings.

3. Train Procurement Officials

Public officials must be trained in lifecycle costing, embodied carbon assessment, and climate-adaptive design. Without this literacy, green materials remain undervalued.

4. Develop Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

EPDs are detailed documents that track a material’s environmental impact from cradle to grave. These help standardise assessments and open the door to formal inclusion in public projects.

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Procurement Is a Design Tool

What if we stopped seeing procurement as paperwork, and started seeing it as a design decision?

Because it is.

Procurement determines what gets built, who gets to build it, and whether the buildings serve global supply chains or local communities.

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Imagine If We Got It Right

If even 30% of public buildings in West and North West Africa were built with bamboo and laterite:

• Emissions would fall dramatically
  
• Jobs would flourish in rural material supply chains
  
• Design would reflect place, not imported templates
  
• Citizens would live, learn, and heal in buildings that breathe the culture of their region
  

This is not idealism. It is realism informed by climate logic, economic sense, and architectural dignity.

But none of it will happen without reforming how we choose who builds, and with what.

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Final Thought

We already know how to build better.
We already have the materials.
We already have the design knowledge.

All that’s left is the political will to change how we choose.

Public procurement is the keystone of this revolution.
Let’s build with that in mind.

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Next Week:
Blueprint for a Bamboo Urban Village: A Vision for 2040 — A grounded manifesto for regenerative city-making.