The Impact of Cost–Benefit Analysis on the Development of Residential Construction Projects in Sub-Saharan African Countries: A PRISMA-Guided Systematic Empirical Review (2010 – 2025)
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The use of cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in residential construction development across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is an area of empirical inquiry that is important yet not cohesively synthesized. With rapid urbanization, housing deficits estimated at over 51 million units, and growing infrastructure investment needs, the evidence on CBA's value as a decision-support tool in SSA's residential sector remains fragmented and locally bounded. This systematic review, guided by PRISMA protocols, consolidates findings from 47 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2025, sourced from Google Scholar, Scopus, SciSpace, and PubMed.
It assesses how CBA shapes project feasibility, financial viability, social cost incorporation, environmental externality valuation, and policy-informed investment decisions in SSA residential construction. The findings indicate that CBA adoption enhances investment efficiency and risk management, yet significant methodological obstacles remain, particularly data scarcity, informal land tenure, challenges with shadow pricing, and systematic undervaluation of social and environmental costs.
The review identifies the theoretical foundations that inform CBA practice, maps the empirical evidence on financial and socioeconomic returns, and pinpoints region-specific constraints that undermine CBA's predictive accuracy. It concludes with policy recommendations and directions for future research, emphasizing the need for context-sensitive CBA frameworks, professional capacity development among built environment practitioners, and the incorporation of sustainability cost metrics into standard appraisal practice across SSA.
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