Architectural licensing in Nigeria, a pathway to professionalism or an obstacle to practice?

Licensure is the ultimate milestone in the journey towards becoming an architect. However, anecdotal evidence suggests many architecture graduates lack interest in getting a practice license. Numerous investigations have yet to undertake a qualitative assessment to ascertain the advantages arising from the professional licensing of architects in Nigeria. By employing a combination of narrative literature reviews and 37 semi-structured interviews with architects, this study qualitatively investigates how architectural licensing in Nigeria impacts the profession and the broader built environment considering the unique challenges and opportunities in the country's dynamic construction landscape. The data were categorised according to emerging themes and qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis. Findings underscore the critical role of licensing in upholding professionalism, ethical standards, legal accountability in the architectural community and the quality of architectural practice within the built environment. It reveals that the registration trend in the last 47 years has been inconsistent, resulting in a shortage of licensed architects, highlighting barriers to obtaining and maintaining licenses to include regulatory inefficiencies and socio-economic challenges. Recommendations include policy interventions, streamlined licensing processes, and mentorship programs to increase the number of licensed architects. This work contributes to understanding licensing’s role in improving architectural performance and addressing national development needs.