Digital technology adoption barriers and solutions for sustainable and resilient construction: evidence from six CEMAC countries

This study investigates barriers to the adoption of digital technology (DT) for sustainable construction in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), comprising the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Through mixed-methods research with 1,095 construction professionals across 45 firms, Exploratory Factor Analysis identified 29 barriers classified into six clusters explaining 78.326% of the total variance: Market & Ecosystem (27.286%), Economic & Financial (21.335%), Collaboration & Coordination (18.572%), Technical & Infrastructure (4.980%), Policy & Regulatory (3.127%), and Human Capacity & Knowledge (3.026%). The most severe barriers include frequent power outages and insufficient skills (MIS = 4.17), economic volatility (MIS = 4.13), banks’ reluctance to finance SMEs (MIS = 4.10), and high technology costs (MIS = 4.07). Moving beyond descriptive analysis, this research proposes an empirically validated prescriptive framework integrating context-specific solutions: blockchain-based financing (achieving 38.8% cost reduction in pilots), AI-powered ROI optimization (4,233% ROI), integrated BIM/Digital Twin platforms (8% project savings), edge computing architecture (479% ROI), solar-powered systems (265% ROI), and AI-driven offline training (78% cost reduction). Pilot implementations across 34 projects from July to October 2025 validate the solution’s feasibility in real-world conditions. The Infrastructure-Independent Digital Transformation (IIDT) framework advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals through circular-economy principles, social equity for informal-sector workers (65–80% of the workforce), economic resilience (projected 12,000 jobs by 2030), and environmental sustainability. Findings provide actionable guidance for construction firms, governments, educational institutions, technology vendors, and development partners implementing digital transformation in resource-constrained emerging economies.