Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review

Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

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Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review

Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa^*

Published in American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (Volume 11, Issue 1)

Received: 15 December 2025 Accepted: 25 December 2025 Published: 19 January 2026

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Abstract

The high rate of urbanization in Nigerian cities has intensified environmental problems such as urban heat islands and deteriorating air quality. These challenges are further increased by traditional roofing systems, which retains heat and increase runoff of stormwater. Green roof systems, a subset of the broader concept of green infrastructure, presents a viable solution by providing significant microclimate and environmental benefits. In Nigeria, adoption of green roofs is still on the low scale, despite their suitability for tropical climates. The review sets out to examine the current state of green roof adoption in Nigeria by synthesizing fifteen peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025 and retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar databases respectively. The findings indicate that there is growing level of academic and professional interest and less practical implementation. Most of the reviewed studies are geographically concentrated in Lagos. Empirical and simulation-based evidence suggests that green roofs are able to lower surface temperatures by 10-25°C and improve indoor comfort by up to 3°C. However, obstacles to implementation include cost of high installation, unskilled personnel, shortage of local standards and weak policy guidelines despite their benefits. The study concludes that through proper advocacy and localisation, green roofs could become a key tool of environmental resilience and sustainable cities in Nigeria.

Published in	American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management (Volume 11, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
Page(s)	1-6
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Green Roof, Green Infrastructure, Conventional Roof, Nigeria, Adoption

References

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APA Style

Oreoluwa, O. O. (2026). Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review. American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 11(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

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ACS Style

Oreoluwa, O. O. Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review. Am. J. Eng. Technol. Manag. 2026, 11(1), 1-6. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

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AMA Style

Oreoluwa OO. Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review. Am J Eng Technol Manag. 2026;11(1):1-6. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11,
  author = {Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa},
  title = {Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review},
  journal = {American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-6},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajetm.20261101.11},
  abstract = {The high rate of urbanization in Nigerian cities has intensified environmental problems such as urban heat islands and deteriorating air quality. These challenges are further increased by traditional roofing systems, which retains heat and increase runoff of stormwater. Green roof systems, a subset of the broader concept of green infrastructure, presents a viable solution by providing significant microclimate and environmental benefits. In Nigeria, adoption of green roofs is still on the low scale, despite their suitability for tropical climates. The review sets out to examine the current state of green roof adoption in Nigeria by synthesizing fifteen peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025 and retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar databases respectively. The findings indicate that there is growing level of academic and professional interest and less practical implementation. Most of the reviewed studies are geographically concentrated in Lagos. Empirical and simulation-based evidence suggests that green roofs are able to lower surface temperatures by 10-25°C and improve indoor comfort by up to 3°C. However, obstacles to implementation include cost of high installation, unskilled personnel, shortage of local standards and weak policy guidelines despite their benefits. The study concludes that through proper advocacy and localisation, green roofs could become a key tool of environmental resilience and sustainable cities in Nigeria.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review
AU  - Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa
Y1  - 2026/01/19
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
T2  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
JF  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
JO  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
SP  - 1
EP  - 6
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1441
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
AB  - The high rate of urbanization in Nigerian cities has intensified environmental problems such as urban heat islands and deteriorating air quality. These challenges are further increased by traditional roofing systems, which retains heat and increase runoff of stormwater. Green roof systems, a subset of the broader concept of green infrastructure, presents a viable solution by providing significant microclimate and environmental benefits. In Nigeria, adoption of green roofs is still on the low scale, despite their suitability for tropical climates. The review sets out to examine the current state of green roof adoption in Nigeria by synthesizing fifteen peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025 and retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar databases respectively. The findings indicate that there is growing level of academic and professional interest and less practical implementation. Most of the reviewed studies are geographically concentrated in Lagos. Empirical and simulation-based evidence suggests that green roofs are able to lower surface temperatures by 10-25°C and improve indoor comfort by up to 3°C. However, obstacles to implementation include cost of high installation, unskilled personnel, shortage of local standards and weak policy guidelines despite their benefits. The study concludes that through proper advocacy and localisation, green roofs could become a key tool of environmental resilience and sustainable cities in Nigeria.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa

Department of Architecture, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5277-4185

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APA Style

Oreoluwa, O. O. (2026). Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review. American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 11(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

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ACS Style

Oreoluwa, O. O. Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review. Am. J. Eng. Technol. Manag. 2026, 11(1), 1-6. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Oreoluwa OO. Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review. Am J Eng Technol Manag. 2026;11(1):1-6. doi: 10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11,
  author = {Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa},
  title = {Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review},
  journal = {American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {1-6},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajetm.20261101.11},
  abstract = {The high rate of urbanization in Nigerian cities has intensified environmental problems such as urban heat islands and deteriorating air quality. These challenges are further increased by traditional roofing systems, which retains heat and increase runoff of stormwater. Green roof systems, a subset of the broader concept of green infrastructure, presents a viable solution by providing significant microclimate and environmental benefits. In Nigeria, adoption of green roofs is still on the low scale, despite their suitability for tropical climates. The review sets out to examine the current state of green roof adoption in Nigeria by synthesizing fifteen peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025 and retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar databases respectively. The findings indicate that there is growing level of academic and professional interest and less practical implementation. Most of the reviewed studies are geographically concentrated in Lagos. Empirical and simulation-based evidence suggests that green roofs are able to lower surface temperatures by 10-25°C and improve indoor comfort by up to 3°C. However, obstacles to implementation include cost of high installation, unskilled personnel, shortage of local standards and weak policy guidelines despite their benefits. The study concludes that through proper advocacy and localisation, green roofs could become a key tool of environmental resilience and sustainable cities in Nigeria.},
 year = {2026}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Green Roof Adoption in Nigerian Cities: A Review
AU  - Olusoga Olawale Oreoluwa
Y1  - 2026/01/19
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
T2  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
JF  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
JO  - American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
SP  - 1
EP  - 6
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2575-1441
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajetm.20261101.11
AB  - The high rate of urbanization in Nigerian cities has intensified environmental problems such as urban heat islands and deteriorating air quality. These challenges are further increased by traditional roofing systems, which retains heat and increase runoff of stormwater. Green roof systems, a subset of the broader concept of green infrastructure, presents a viable solution by providing significant microclimate and environmental benefits. In Nigeria, adoption of green roofs is still on the low scale, despite their suitability for tropical climates. The review sets out to examine the current state of green roof adoption in Nigeria by synthesizing fifteen peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2025 and retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar databases respectively. The findings indicate that there is growing level of academic and professional interest and less practical implementation. Most of the reviewed studies are geographically concentrated in Lagos. Empirical and simulation-based evidence suggests that green roofs are able to lower surface temperatures by 10-25°C and improve indoor comfort by up to 3°C. However, obstacles to implementation include cost of high installation, unskilled personnel, shortage of local standards and weak policy guidelines despite their benefits. The study concludes that through proper advocacy and localisation, green roofs could become a key tool of environmental resilience and sustainable cities in Nigeria.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

Copy | Download