Construction Industry and Research Rationale in Cameroon and Africa

Abstract

The construction industry is large and diverse, with lot of companies and professional bodies. This makes it thought-provoking to develop a common vision and priorities. Activities in the industry are always term as project and these projects must be procured and managed thus making the concept of procurement and project management inevitable in the construction industry. This paper will begin by briefly introducing the reader to the construction industry and try to find and give appropriate definition for the industry. This paper identifies and explain the relevant area of professional practice such as construction project and procurement management in the context of the construction industry to a reader who is unfamiliar with it. The paper further investigate the rationale and importance of research in construction projects and the construction industry in Cameroon and Africa. To help focus efforts around research and innovation, this draft strategy have come out as a result of literature review and process of personal reflection with appropriate references and effective use of relevant theories to corroborating evidence that articulate a convincing rationale in research in the field on Construction with particular emphasis in Cameroon and Africa. The construction type referred to in this paper deals with all types of projects in the building and civil engineering industries or the public sector as generally called in some countries.