The countries in Africa are pushing for socio-economic development. The construction sector has an important part to play in helping to realise these aspirations. This necessitates an increased emphasis on research in the built environment, as a key contributor to developing capacity, knowledge and technologies for the sector.

The WABER conference was initiated in November 2008. The original objective was to provide a vehicle to help young built environment researchers in West Africa to develop their research work and skills through constructive face-to-face interaction with experienced international academics; supply a platform for interaction among more senior academics and an outlet for disseminating their research work; and to serve as a vehicle for developing the built environment field in Africa.