What if the future of sustainable construction in Ghana lies beneath our feet and in the agricultural waste we throw away every year?
Researchers at the TCC-CIMET research centre of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology believe it does.
Drawing inspiration from termite mounds nature’s own engineering marvels the scientists are exploring how quantum computing can help validate laterite-clay and agricultural fibre composites for use in modern construction. Their goal is ambitious: to provide the scientific evidence needed for Ghana’s building regulations to recognise locally sourced, low-carbon materials as approved construction alternatives.
Across Ghana’s savanna and transitional ecological zones lie vast deposits of laterite clay, alongside significant volumes of agricultural by-products such as coconut husks and palm kernel shells.
Every year, Ghana’s agricultural processing industry generates an estimated 500,000 tonnes of palm-nutshell and coconut husk waste. Despite their abundance, these materials remain largely excluded from mainstream construction because they have not been fully certified for structural applications.
The issue is not availability but verification.
Before any material can be approved for large-scale construction, regulators and engineers require reliable data on its strength, durability, moisture resistance and long-term structural performance. Without such evidence, natural materials struggle to gain acceptance within formal building codes.
The research builds on earlier projects that have already demonstrated the practical use of natural building materials.
The RENABUMA initiative successfully constructed pavilions using clay, timber and natural fibres, showcasing the potential of local materials in modern architecture.
Its successor, BUCABUMA, expands the concept through digital fabrication technologies and circular economy principles across a multinational African research consortium funded by the European Commission.
Both projects have explored the use of laterite, clay, bamboo, coconut fibre and palm-nut fibre in sustainable construction. However, moving from demonstration structures to code-approved buildings requires extensive material testing a process that can take months or even years using traditional laboratory methods.
This is where quantum computing enters the equation.
Researchers at TCC-CIMET are investigating hybrid quantum-classical algorithms that combine cloud-based quantum processors with conventional high-performance computing systems.
Rather than waiting for future generations of quantum hardware, the centre is applying technologies already available today to tackle a distinctly Ghanaian challenge.
According to Alexander Boakye Marful, the objective is to use advanced computational methods to accelerate the validation of local construction materials.
The simulations focus on critical engineering questions, including:
- Determining the optimal ratio of clay to natural fibres.
- Predicting how moisture affects cracking and structural integrity.
- Modelling long-term durability in tropical climatic conditions.
- Assessing creep behaviour and performance under repeated loading.
By reducing the need for lengthy trial-and-error laboratory testing, the approach could significantly speed up the certification process for natural building materials.
If successful, the research could provide Ghana with a locally sourced alternative to cement-intensive construction materials.
Such materials would offer several advantages:
- Lower construction costs.
- Reduced dependence on imported building materials.
- Lower carbon emissions.
- Greater utilisation of agricultural waste.
- Increased resilience through locally adapted building solutions.
Perhaps most importantly, it could help bridge the gap between traditional building knowledge and modern engineering standards.
For decades, communities across Africa have built durable structures using earth-based materials. The challenge has been translating that knowledge into scientifically validated standards that regulators can approve for wider use.
The implications extend beyond Ghana.
Researchers believe the methodology could be replicated in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia and South Africa, where similar earth-building traditions exist but face the same regulatory hurdles.
By combining advanced computation with local materials research, the project offers a pathway toward more affordable, climate-friendly and locally driven construction across the continent.
TCC-CIMET currently leads the BUCABUMA project under the direction of Prof. Alexander Boakye Marful.
The consortium includes leading international partners such as Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, TU Braunschweig, University of the Witwatersrand, University of Nairobi and Addis Ababa University.
Together, the institutions are working to develop a new generation of sustainable building materials that combine indigenous resources with cutting-edge technology.
If successful, the initiative could transform materials long regarded as waste or simply as dirt beneath our feet into certified construction products capable of reshaping the future of African architecture and infrastructure.
