Africa a good investment destination

SOME of the best property minds have convened to share their expertise on property investment in Africa at the inaugural Africa Property Investment Summit hosted by Liberty Properties.

The inaugural summit focused on opportunities on the continent and offered solutions to overcoming real estate challenges.

Samuel Ogbu, chief executive of Liberty Properties said: "We are a firm advocate of the opportunities presented on the continent and believe that all indicators point to the potential for real transformational growth.

"There is improved governance and political stability, increased securitisation and maturing capital markets, all of which are driven by a population of over one billion consumers demanding attention.

"It is against this positive backdrop that we believe an investment conference of this nature is perfectly timed. Africa today is about progress and potential - the key is in knowing how to unlock the opportunities."

Liberty Properties said some of the topics on the agenda included capital solutions to the real estate sector in Africa; property as a good investment for pension funds; in-depth insight into the African property market and trends in the hotel industry on the continent.

Brett Abrahamse, business development manager at Liberty Properties, explained the importance of considering Africa as an investment destination due to its booming real estate industry.

"In the past decade we have seen a tenfold increase in the market capitalisation of listed property in South Africa. This is still likely to grow in the next three to four years. There's a growing appetite for retail and mixed used developments on the continent, an example is the Levy Shopping Centre in Zambia.

"Abuja in Nigeria, is another perfect example of Africa's burgeoning real estate landscape. In the next few years the city will attract major investments in property driven by increased consumer spending and business friendly policies," added Abrahamse.