Asiedu, R. O.; Amoakwa, A. B.; Ameyaw, C.; Owusu-Manu, D. G.; Daniels, P. A. and Gyimah, S. (2026) Environmental, social, and governance considerations in sustainable construction project delivery. Construction Economics and Building, 26(2), ISSN 2204-9029
Abstract
The construction industry significantly impacts environmental and social systems while driving economic development globally. Despite growing emphasis on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks in developed economies, research examining ESG considerations in sustainable project delivery within low-and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly Ghana, remains limited. This study addresses this knowledge gap by investigating key ESG considerations influencing sustainable project delivery in Ghana's construction industry and their structural relationships. Through a comprehensive literature review, 20 ESG considerations were identified and empirically examined through a survey of 119 construction professionals with substantial knowledge of sustainable construction practices. Factor analysis revealed four critical ESG dimensions: environmental performance considerations (EPC), transparency and responsibility considerations (TRC), social impact considerations (SIC), and compliance and engagement considerations (CEC), cumulatively explaining 66.412% of variance. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that SIC exert dominant direct influence on environmental performance (β = 0.660, t = 7.842, p < 0.001), demonstrating that social legitimacy is most strongly associated with environmental sustainability outcomes in low-capacity regulatory environments. Contrary to developed-country contexts, transparency and compliance demonstrated limited mediating effects, reflecting Ghana's institutional realities of weak enforcement infrastructure and governance gaps. The findings challenge conventional ESG hierarchies and provide contextualized insights for construction stakeholders, policymakers, and investors seeking to mainstream ESG practices in Sub-Saharan Africa. This research contributes theoretically by distinguishing project-level ESG implementation from corporate-level disclosure and practically by offering actionable recommendations for ESG integration adapted to LMIC institutional contexts, emphasizing social safeguards as enabling factors for broader sustainability outcomes.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | considerations, sustainable project delivery; construction industry; environmental, social, and governance; Ghana; PLS-SEM |
| Index terms: | transparency, implementation, social system, income, sustainable construction practice, survey, environmental sustainability, safeguards, dimension, compliance, social impact, enforcement, investor, partial least square, project delivery, literature review, Ghana, environmental performance, variance, construction industry, Sub-Saharan Africa, construction professional, factor analysis, structural equation modelling, legitimacy, governance, economic development, integration, sustainable construction project |
| Subjects: | sustainable construction, data collection methods, social theory, sustainability assessment, health monitoring assessment and metrics, sociology, occupational health and safety management, Geography, physical geography and landforms, data analysis and analytics, professional development, economic analysis, economic development, organizational analysis, business, measurement and scaling, statistical analysis, health safety and environment, industry analysis, project delivery, contractual arrangements |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Research Practice, Procurement, Information Management, Sustainability, Governance, Geographical Context, Health and Safety, Stakeholder Management, Business Strategy |
| 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