Companies from Sweden and Czechia have teamed up with the Nigerian government to offer houses built partly from rice straw.
Sweden’s Our Ecolution and Czech firm Ekopanely both make boards out of cereal straw.
They’ve teamed up to invest $250m in building 10 factories in Nigeria to make such boards from waste rice straw, local media report.
Rotimi George, the chair of Ekopanely Nigeria, said building with rice straw panels was up to 40% cheaper than conventional methods, and that a three-bedroom bungalow could be built in seven days.
Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (Naseni) has acquired the model plant franchise on behalf of the federal government.
Naseni said the project was supported by the Czech Export Bank and state insurance institution, EGAP.
A pilot building is being built in the Karu Local Government Area in Nasarawa State, east of Abuja.
It’s expected that other rice-producing states will launch similar projects with help from the World Bank.
States will have to produce at least 50,000 tonnes of rice a year to have enough raw material.
Franchisees are required to provide plant locations and contribute capital, receiving a share of the profit after tax and other economic benefits.
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