The construction industry is undergoing a radical change as project owners
are demanding for more project visibility at lower cost and better risk management; this
has increased the use of new technologies in project implementations. The concept of
information islands has remained a major challenge in construction projects where the
existing management systems have restrained the sharing of information on the
building life cycle and also cooperation among contracting parties. The global call for
the use of building information modeling (BIM) is to improve the quality
characteristics of the construction industry’s outputs and create potential impact on the
industry. The upgrading from the use of 2D CAD systems to 3D BIM technologies has
dramatically increased project efficiency and affordability among the large architecture,
engineering and construction (AEC) firms. The chapter investigates on the prospects
and possible challenges confronting the upgrade to BIM technologies in the two
leading African economies namely; Nigeria and South Africa. The research approach is
based on comprehensive literature scan and case studies. The findings reveal the key
challenges to adopting BIM in both countries, the paper also recommends the way
forward.
Keywords: BIM technologies, Construction industry, Nigeria, South Africa, 2D.
