Press Release
For immediate release – Wednesday 16 October 2016
Findings from the Business Confidence Monitor Nigeria 2016/17 released
Report indicates a positive outlook for facilities management industry in the region
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) and BIFM Nigeria, together with BusinessDay,
have today published the findings from the Facilities Management Business Confidence Monitor
2016/17 Nigeria.
The 197 respondents who took part in the survey recognised the growing and professionalising
facilities management (FM) industry within the region despite under currents of economic uncertainty
across Nigeria. Key findings included an optimism and positivity around the industry, a projected
investment in FM training and development and an increasing use of technology amidst a recession in
the region.
84% of respondents were of the opinion that the industry will do better in the next 12 months while
just 1% said it would deteriorate over the next 12 months. Respondents attributed this optimism to an
increasing awareness of FM in Nigeria, an improvement of services in FM companies and an
increased outsourcing as a result of cost savings.
The report recognised that the FM industry in Nigeria is largely untapped and has huge potential to
grow. The report indicated future growth was definite, with 72% of respondents expected to increase
their workforce in the next 12 months as a result of aggressive marketing efforts and other expansion
plans.
One of the biggest challenges facing the FM industry in Nigeria is the current economic slowdown,
which has affected several industries and the country’s overall economy. Government policies have
also impacted inflation, high lending rates and infrastructure problems, which in turn have threatened
to restrict industry growth.
To combat the difficulties, more than 80% said they were using technology to grow their industry,
including software to help with Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS), enterprise
resource management tools, customer service and project management.
89% of respondents said they would be increasing their presence online. 75% said they planned to
invest in machinery – with 59% stating they would be increasing their FM spend over the next 12
months and 22% saying their spend would remain unchanged. The expected industry outcome also
looked positive, with 85% saying that they expected their capital investment to increase in the next 12
months and 86% saying they expected that turnover will increase in the next 12 months.
A reassuring 62% said they did not see any potential threat to jobs over the next 12 months in
comparison to the previous 12 months, while 77% were hopeful they would get a pay rise. The
support for training and development was also high, with 87% confirming the importance of training in
order to further their careers.
Wale Odufalu, Chair of the BIFM Nigeria Committee said: “The result of the BCM Nigeria report
clearly shows the resilience of the FM industry in the face of current economic uncertainties. The
BIFM Nigeria committee is excited about this new report which aligns with our commitment to promote
knowledge sharing in the FM industry."
Odufalu continued: “We are also optimistic that this report will further echo the relevance and potential
of the FM industry to both the service and real estate sectors. With the anticipated investment in
training and technology by operators, the sector could play a major role as the country navigates itself
out of the current recession.”
Peter Brogan, Research and Information Manager at BIFM, said: “As a growing FM market it is
encouraging to see optimism and determination among FMs in making key industry improvements.
Despite the difficulties and challenges, Nigeria has all of the requirements in place to succeed and a
lot of potential for growth. We look forward to following the industry progress and its future
successes.”
Anthony Osae-Brown, Editor of BusinessDay, said: “As an established business newspaper, with
interests in research, we are proud to be associated with this project.
“We trust that the findings of this report will guide FM professionals, operators and investors in the FM
industry as they make decisions that will shape the sector for its next growth phase.”
The full report is available to download from www.bifm.org.uk/BCMNigeria
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About BIFM
The British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) is the professional body for facilities
management. Founded in 1993, it promotes excellence in facilities management for the benefit of
practitioners, the economy and society. Supporting and representing over 17,000 members around
the world, both individual FM professionals and organisations, and thousands more through
qualifications and training.
For more information visit www.bifm.org.uk, telephone +44 (0)1279 712 620 or email
[email protected].
Press contacts
For more information on BIFM, contact Eleanor Scotchbrook on +44 (0)1279 712662 or email
[email protected]
About BIFM Nigeria
Nigeria continues to see investment in infrastructure and real estate and there is a growing realisation
of the important role that facilities management can play in supporting and enabling organisations to
succeed. We need to ensure the sector continues to become more professional and the value that FM
can generate is communicated to a wide audience.
With the formation of the BIFM Nigeria Committee, we are committed to supporting fellow FM
professionals based in Nigeria by, for example, sharing knowledge and resources, facilitating events
for industry professionals to network and learn, and to contribute to promoting standards and best
practice in the FM sector.
www.bifm.org.uk/bifm/groups/regions/niger
About BusinessDay
A daily business newspaper dealing with many sectors of Nigerian business, including politics,
banking and finance, investing, and commodities insurance.
www.businessdayonline.com