The Africa Property Investment (API) summit held in September 2022 was attended by hundreds of people from across the continent as they sook networking opportunities and insights from experts.
This article provides the key takeaways from the two-day event that took place at The Marriott hotel in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.
- African real estate markets came through the pandemic mostly well.
- Access to capital, especially US dollars is a major hindrance to African real estate markets’ growth.
- There needs to be cross border investment but this is often constrained by government restrictions.
- Data sets are hard to find and often unreliable
- African investors are keen to embrace the real estate investment trust (Reit) designation. While Reits have operated in SA since late 2013, very few have been formed in other African countries
- Valuation methods for real estate vary widely in Africa.
- Proptech has to make doing business in Africa easier and more efficient, to generate better returns, Peter Clark, co-founder of RE-Dimension Capital said.
- Political instability is not dissuading investment as much as it used to. Developers will still buikd corporate accommodation for example and put in their own security and infrastructure.
Here’s hoping that the next API is also a resounding success, attracting talented people who can further African real estate.