Industry in general has seen many technological developments in recent decades. However, the construction industry has not kept pace particularly within the area of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This could be for many reasons notably including the fragmented structure of the industry. Many studies regard the construction industry's failure to keep pace with ICTs as a major problem affecting its performance. Hence, they have tried to diagnose the problem in this regard. Many drivers have seen the successful adoption of new ICTs within other industries with this trend now emerging within the construction industry. Because of the increasing awareness among practitioners of the benefits of utilising ICTs within construction, the recent decade has seen many construction projects harnessing ICTs methods and strategies in construction. This paper has an exploratory approach with the aim of reviewing the existing research publications on the subject, describing the current state of ICTs in construction industry, and introducing some successful methods. The presented discussions will provide guidelines for practitioners and policy makers in the construction industry regarding the advantages of adopting ICTs for enhancing the efficiency of the construction industry. The methods introduced could be beneficial for key construction stakeholders in developing countries by presenting the advantages gained from merging ICTs into construction projects processes based on methods previously tested in developed economies.
Purpose
This paper is anchored in a premise of a universal call to action by all UN member states in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030 within the blueprint of the sustainable development goals (SDGS). The purpose of this study is to mainstream the SDGs in Ghana’s energy sector within the framework of public–private partnerships (PPP): challenges, opportunities and strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature review was carried out to explore concepts, theories and frameworks for initiating PPP. Best local and international practices in the implementation of PPP projects; challenges and opportunities in the implementation of PPP projects, strategies for mainstreaming the SDGs in Ghana’s energy sector and assess business action in the implementation of the SDGs in Ghana’s energy sector. The study is situated within the social constructionist philosophical tradition. The qualitative research strategy was adopted as the main methodological choice. Interview guides were used to collect data from respondents in the Accra metropolis.
Findings
Lack of a PPP policy law in Ghana, conflict of interest in PPP projects, excessive government control over projects, cumbersome licensing and legal regime and economic stability were the most significant challenges identified to PPPs. Technology transfer, efficiency gains and mobilization of additional resources for development on the government side where the opportunities for the private sector. Awareness creation, modeling inclusive business with corporate social responsibility (CSR) and SDGs, exploring business opportunities in SDGs such as carbon trading, aligning national policies with SDGs, establishing sustainability units and partnerships with relevant bodies were proposed for mainstreaming the SDGs in Ghana’s energy sector.
Research limitations/implications
It was established from this study that indeed PPPs have a major role to play in unleashing all available forces and prospects toward achieving the SDGs. This paper is constrained to the energy industry in Ghana. It provides a theory-based direction on how companies in the energy sector can contribute to social and economic interventions through a framework of PPP framework within the SGDs. Future research may explore how companies in other sectors may contribute to the sustainability discourse.
Practical implications
This will ultimately lead to additional funding to support government efforts in the implementation of SDGs, honing of sustainable (inclusive) business models, creating an enabling environment for PPPs toward inclusive growth and national development leaving no one behind. It recommended that there should be a national policy and law on PPPs and the private sector should be incentivized to engage government in PPPs implementation for the SDGs. Theoretically, this study contributes to the policy analysis discourse and scaling-up literature on the SDGs.
Originality/value
This study explores the challenges associated with mainstreaming the SGDs in the energy sector from a public–private business perspective. It also offers a new policy, economic and legal regulatory framework that contributes to emerging trends. The outcome of the analyzes advocates for clear business strategies for implementation of the SDG apart from CSR.
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