Energoprojekt in Nigeria: Yugoslav Construction Companies in the Developing World

The foundation of the Non-aligned Movement in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in September 1961 represented a new opening, not only for a joint political representation of the countries trying to challenge the bipolar division of the world and imperialism during the Cold War, but also for the establishment of the direct economic relations. In the first decades of the movement, Yugoslavia was trying to match political with economic cooperation, an important part of which was involvement of the construction companies in the large infrastructural projects being constructed in countries gaining their independence. This study focuses on the work of “Energoprojekt” construction enterprise from Belgrade, one of the most successful Yugoslav construction companies on the international markets, whose portfolio of projects beside infrastructural included also architectural projects. Closely examining the sequence of Energoprojekt’s project in Nigeria in the 1970s, the paper will look into the economic, political, and architectural conditions that enabled their construction, as well as how they influenced the design and construction process. The paper introduces some of the most important protagonists, architects and directors, who shaped Energoprojekt’s approach to architecture, and an overview of organizational formats used to support economic relationship between Yugoslav and the Non-aligned government and enterprises.