By Isqil Najim
In a landmark move for the African construction sector, Engr. Ebosie Ezeoke, Executive Chairman, Anambra State Materials Testing Laboratory, (ASMTL) has unveiled a transformative low-carbon road technology capable of slashing construction costs by up to 70%.
The disclosure was made during his address as Guest Speaker at the investiture of Engr. Michael Ifeanyi Orekyeh as the 13th National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Metallurgical, Mining and Materials Engineers (NIMMME) in Abuja on March 11, 2026.
Speaking on the topic “New Low-Carbon Road Pavement Construction Technology,” Ezeoke presented a system that utilizes a cement-stabilized local soil base finished with a cold-applied microsurfacing treatment.
This innovation offers a radical alternative to conventional heated asphalt. By eliminating heat from the application process and removing the need for expensive imported sub-base materials, the technology reduces a road’s carbon footprint by 70% while significantly lowering both initial construction and long-term maintenance expenses.
Ezeoke stated that “traditional road construction has become one of the most resource-intensive sectors within civil infrastructure, generating significant carbon emissions through energy-intensive machinery, transport logistics, and maintenance activities.”
Engr. Ezeoke challenged the structural flaws in contemporary African road design, noting that current paving technologies are often modelled after Western climates which prioritize frost protection. “The African environment demands materials with high resistance to torrential rains and extreme thermal stress,” he noted, adding that conventional on-site mixing often fails to achieve the homogeneity required for high-traffic roads.
“We present a groundbreaking road paving solution that fundamentally utilizes local soil, perfectly adapted to African climate conditions” he said. Adding that the new innovation offers exceptional water resistance , durability, combined with the load-absorbing qualities of a flexible surface, at unmatched cost effectiveness.
Unlike traditional methods where materials are blended directly on the road, this technology employs a central mixing plant to ensure absolute uniformity. By stabilizing local soil with a small amount of cement and inorganic additives, the technology achieves a compressive strength of 150 to 210 kgf/cm² — a five-to-seven-fold improvement over the 30 kgf/cm² typical of conventional flexible asphalt pavements.
This process creates a “Triple-Plus Effect,” offering superior climate resilience, significant cost savings through the use of local materials, and a 70% reduction in carbon footprint due to the elimination of heat in the application process. By simplifying the road cross-section and removing the need for expensive imported sub-base materials, the technology provides a sustainable and economically viable path for Nigeria’s infrastructure development.
Beyond financial savings and low maintenance, the technology offers clear health and environmental benefits. It suppresses dry-season dust and mitigates the “Urban Heat Island” effect, as soil pavement absorbs less sunlight than dark asphalt. Ezeoke also highlighted several additional applications for this stabilization chemistry, including agricultural paddy paths, waterways, the production of interlocking paving blocks, and desert restoration works
Vassily Barberopoulos Calls for a Mining Industrial Revolution
Also at the event, the Managing Director of Nigerian Foundries Limited (NFL), Vassily Barberopoulos, decried what he called “the resource trap”—a pattern where raw minerals are exported only for the machinery needed for extraction to be imported back at a far greater cost.
He stated that the consequences include capital flight and shallow technical capacity. However, Barberopoulos announced that the industrial capacity to reverse this already exists within Nigeria. He cited local foundries and machining workshops already producing wear-resistant castings, mill liners, and precision spare parts. “With the right policy support, Nigerian companies could supply mining equipment across West Africa,” he declared.
NSE President Challenges NIMMME
Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Ali Rabiu, represented by the Deputy President, Engr. Valerie Agberagba, tasked the new National Chairman with repositioning the nation’s metallurgical and mining sectors to serve as the bedrock of Nigeria’s industrialization. He emphasized that metals, mining, and materials are central to technological advancement and economic diversification, and set a rigorous agenda for the new executive committee — urging them to focus on strategic advocacy and the promotion of professional standards to ensure engineering practice contributes directly to the protection of national resources.
“The challenges facing our country today demand stronger synergy between engineering professionals, policymakers, and industry stakeholders,” Engr. Rabiu noted, calling for deeper collaboration with research institutions and the organized private sector.
He also expressed profound gratitude to the outgoing National Chairman, Prof. Abdulrahman Asipita Salawu, for his exemplary service, while calling on all members to provide unwavering support to the incoming leadership.
“We Will Not Be Onlookers” — New NIMMME National Chairman Vows
In his acceptance address, the new Chairman, Engr. Michael Ifeanyi Orekyeh, stated that for too long, conversations in the sector have been trapped by the legacy of “comatose” government-controlled projects like Ajaokuta and Delta Steel. “But now we want a situation where, when you talk about metallurgy, it should be about metalwork, foundry, additive manufacturing, and its relevance to the private sector — at small, medium, and large scale,” he said.
Orekyeh declared that NIMMME must have a “seat at the table” in any effort to reboot national steel assets, citing a dormant pool of Nigerian experts trained globally for this purpose. “We believe that with the right models and business planning, the plant can be activated using new technology developments like process automation to become a competitive steel-producing industry,” he asserted.
The event was attended by prominent dignitaries, including the Royal Father of the Day, Igwe Dr. Michael C. Idigo (Ezeudo), Igwe Aguleri; Mr. Obi Asika, DG of the National Council for Arts and Culture; Engr. Obadiah Nkom, DG of the Mining Cadastral Office (represented by Engr. A. Habila); and Engr. Chinyere Nnenna Igwegbe, President of APWEN, among other industry leaders.
