Sosu, J.; Sackey, K. N. Y. S.; Awudu, A.; Gasue, R. and Agyekum, K. (2026) Adoption of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices among project managers in the Ghanaian construction industry. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 44(5), pp. 1191-1210. ISSN 2398-4708
Abstract
Purpose – One of the biggest challenges in the construction industry is finding a way to maintain steady growth whilst generating less waste and utilizing fewer natural resources. The adoption of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices aids in curbing this major challenge. This study examines the adoption of ESG practices among project managers in the Ghanaian Construction Industry. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted a quantitative research approach with a survey strategy. A structured questionnaire based on a literature review of 24 ESG practices, 10 barriers and 10 enablers, was administered to 72 project managers working in construction firms in Ghana. The data retrieved were analysed descriptively and inferentially. Findings – The findings revealed that social sustainability practices had the highest overall adoption frequency among Ghanaian construction project managers, followed by governance and environmental practices. The findings further revealed that health and safety, stakeholder engagement and ethical behaviour emerged as the most frequently adopted ESG practices. Financial constraints, data limitations and lack of leadership and policy support were identified as the most critical barriers to ESG adoption. In addition, establishing ESG information systems, integrating ESG into corporate strategy and leveraging technology are the top-ranked strategies for enhancing the adoption of ESG practices among project managers in Ghana. Originality/value – This study contributes to existing literature on ESG adoption within a developing country context. The findings offer practical value for benchmarking ESG performance, designing targeted interventions and fostering an enabling ecosystem for sustainability.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | adoption; environmental, social, and governance; Ghanaian construction industry; project managers; sustainability |
| Index terms: | Ghana, corporate strategy, natural resource, governance, information system, manager, ethical behaviour, project manager, literature review, strategy, survey, methodology, social sustainability, construction industry, benchmarking, construction firm, health and safety, questionnaire, quantitative research, construction project, stakeholder engagement, developing country context |
| Subjects: | community and social dimensions, ethical issues, production management, communities and social development, organization, practitioner, health safety and environment, socioeconomic context, profession, business, information systems, performance measurement, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, research methods, environmental resource management, Geography, management, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Quality Management, Geographical Context, Governance, Project Management, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Stakeholder Management, Business Strategy, Sustainability, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here