Framework for Adopting Industry 5.0 in the Construction Sector, South-South Region of Nigeria

Industry 5.0 holds transformative potential precisely by placing human capital, local knowledge, and contextual resilience at the center of the modernisation. Still, there is little or no agenda context-specific implementation framework capable of guiding construction stakeholders. The study aims to develop a Framework for the Implementation of Industry 5.0 (FII5.0) in the Nigerian construction industry. Specific objectives include assessing Industry 5.0 awareness, examining adoption drivers and barriers, establishing effective implementation strategies, and developing a contextually validated implementation framework. A positivist, cross-sectional survey design targeted 508 registered construction professionals in the South-South region of Nigeria. Data collected were collected through structured Likert-scale questionnaires, and 258 valid responses were retrieved. Findings revealed that 93% of the fifteen Industry 5.0 components achieved moderate-tohigh awareness, with economic inclusion and community-driven infrastructure as the first and second highest ranked. The results further showed that Rivers State exhibits universally higher awareness than Akwa Ibom State. The most significant drivers were identified as global sustainability goals and climate change adaptation needs, while the significant barriers were high investment costs and inadequate digital infrastructure, with Akwa Ibom State experiencing greater severity. Monitoring and feedback mechanisms and upskilling programs ranked as the highest-priority strategies.