Sustainable Developments for a Sustainable Economy
Africa's premier platform for housing, construction and sustainable communities. Five days of impact. A lifetime of value.
- 30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026
- Benin City, Edo State
- Entry from ₦0
Opening ceremony · Monday 30 November 2026, 09:00 WAT. Registration is open across every category, from free competition entry to institutional delegations.
About the conference
Where the shelter sector meets
the money, the policy and the builders
A dynamic five-day gathering of professionals, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, investors, students and community leaders committed to shaping the future of shelter, cities and the built environment.
Leave with decisions, not notes
Sessions are built around live projects, real financing routes and the regulatory positions that decide what you can actually build next year.
Meet the people who unlock projects
Developers, investors, manufacturers, regulators, state ministries and agencies in one venue, with structured networking rather than business-card roulette.
Win funding and recognition
Twenty competitions, a research grant and a project pitch grant. Applying is free; winners take cash, mentorship, exposure and implementation support.
What to expect
Eight reasons the week pays for itself
Programme
Five days, five distinct
reasons to be in the room
Passes cover all five days — single-day tickets are not sold.
Who should attend
If you shape where people live, this is your week
Speakers & faculty
The 2026 faculty is being confirmed
Names, credentials and photographs are published here as each confirmation is signed.
Two editions already delivered
The 1st Edition ran in August 2022 and the 2nd in September 2023, both at The Thames Event Centre in Benin City, with proceedings published as compendia after each. The 2026 faculty is being drawn from the same network of institutions, universities and professional bodies.
Previous editions
Two editions of record,
and the proceedings to prove it
Compendia from the 2022 and 2023 editions are available from the Secretariat on request.
Gallery
What the room actually
looks like
Fourteen photographs from the 2nd Edition (2023) and the 1st (2022), both at The Thames Event Centre, Benin City.
Media centre
Proceedings, press kit and accreditation
Both previous editions were documented and published. Journalists, photographers and content creators covering the 3rd Edition can apply for accreditation and a media QR pass.
Competitions, training & awards
Applying costs nothing.
Winning changes your year.
Twenty competitions, a research grant competition and a project pitch grant with 730 published project concepts to build from. Every valid applicant receives an official applicant certificate and digital badge.
What every applicant gets
Free application · applicant certificate · digital badge · applicant community access · opportunity alerts · eligibility for shortlisting.
Shortlisted applicants add mentorship, pitch training and public recognition. Finalists add a pitch slot, media exposure and investor introductions.
Training: 20 programmes, certificate on completion
Professional masterclasses and technical training run on Days 2 and 4, with capacity limits per session and a waiting list once a programme fills.
Training places are included with paid delegate passes. Regular applicant entry is free but capacity-controlled.
Exhibition & marketplace
Put your product in front of the people specifying it
Five days of exhibition floor alongside the conference, the street carnival and the awards night. Building materials, construction technology, finance, design and sustainability brands sell into a room of developers, contractors, government buyers and homeowners. Stalls are sold in three sectors, priced by size and by how close they sit to the entrance and the main walkways.
Exhibition floor plan
- Green · ₦1,500,000 · 9 m² · entrance and central walkways
- Blue · ₦1,000,000 · 6 m² · side walls and central islands
- Yellow · ₦500,000 · 4 m² · rear alcove
Who walks your stall
- Property developers and investors sourcing materials and systems
- Architects, engineers, builders, quantity surveyors and planners
- State ministries, agencies and institutional delegations
- Contractors, artisans and cooperative housing groups
- Students and young professionals entering the sector
Talk to the exhibition desk first
Choose your sector, then message the desk to confirm which stalls are still free, and to agree power and stand build. You will have answers the same working day.
Stall specification
Stall sizes are fixed by sector: 9 m² Green, 6 m² Blue and 4 m² Yellow. Shell-scheme inclusions, power load and the minimum public liability cover required from exhibitors are published here once the venue contract is signed.To confirm
Sponsorship & partnership
An advertisement tells people about you.
An award makes them remember what you support.
Three sponsorship levels, each carrying your brand through the conference with exhibition space, advertising in the programme brochure and Conference Updates, a certificate of participation and sponsorship, and dinner tickets. The higher the level, the more of the conference your brand covers: one competition or training, all of them, or every conference activity.
Be part of the movement
Inspire. Collaborate. Innovate. Competitions and trainings are allocated selectively so no two sponsors compete for the same visibility, and you can ask for the cause, sector or corporate priority you want your brand attached to.
- Be seen.
- Be associated.
- Be remembered.
- Partner with purpose.
Speak to a person, not an inbox
Arc. Cecilia Ovuakpor Atohengbe, FNIA, ARCON, CPMP
Convener, Shelter Conference 2026
Managing Director/CEO, Neighbourhood Turnkey Project Ltd
Government & institutional delegations
₦2,500,000 per participating ministry or agency covers 5 leaders and 20 staff delegates for the full five days, with an official invoice, reserved seating at the opening ceremony and recognition in the conference programme.
Registration
You're one step from a seat at the 3rd Edition
Pricing is per person for all five days and includes the exhibition floor, the street carnival and the awards night. Professional, VIP, VVIP and the student group go straight to their own secure Paystack page; free passes open a short form right here.
Free entry categories
Competition applicants and regular applicants attend at no cost. Free registration still issues a digital pass and is capacity-controlled — register early rather than at the gate.
Registering a group or a delegation?
Corporations, universities, associations, NGOs and government agencies register as one delegation against a single invoice. Government and agency delegations are ₦2,500,000 for 5 leaders and 20 staff.
What your pass covers
- All five conference days, 30 November – 4 December
- Exhibition floor and the Shelter Street Carnival
- Training programmes, subject to session capacity
- Awards investiture and closing ceremony
- Digital pass, QR check-in and attendance certificate
Register — free
Free · all five days
You're on the list
Venue & travel
Benin City, Edo State
Benin City is served by Benin Airport with daily connections from Lagos and Abuja, and by road from Lagos, Asaba, Warri, Onitsha and Auchi.
Map of Benin City, Edo State. The confirmed venue address appears here.Venue to confirm
Getting here
- By air: Benin Airport (BNI), then 20–35 minutes by road depending on traffic.
- By road: roughly 5 hours from Lagos, 2 hours from Asaba, 1.5 hours from Warri.
- Local transport: ride-hailing and chartered vehicles are available; delegation transport can be arranged on request.
Accommodation
Hotels at three price points within reach of the venue, with negotiated conference rates, are published once the venue is confirmed. Delegates book directly with the hotel; the Secretariat does not hold rooms on your behalf.Hotel list to confirm
Accessibility
Tell the Secretariat what you need — step-free access, seating, interpretation or dietary requirements — and arrangements are confirmed with you before you travel.
Questions
Everything delegates ask before paying
Contact
Reach the right desk directly
Registration and payment questions are answered within one working day. Exhibition and sponsorship enquiries go straight to the commercial team.
Five days of impact. A lifetime of value.
Whether you are attending, exhibiting, competing or sponsoring — there is a place for you at Shelter Conference 2026.