African Real Estate awards launched

The African Real Estate and Housing Finance Academy (AREHF) has officially launched its maiden awards in Accra, aimed at recognising remarkable players in the real-estate and housing finance sector across the African continent and the critical role the industry plays in the provision of shelter for humanity.

The awards, under the theme ‘Discovering and Celebrating Excellence’, are expected to draw participants from both public and private sectors of various African countries and will showcase operators who have engaged in significant real-estate and housing transactions that have had a positive social, economic and physical impact on the continent.

The awards ceremony will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, is scheduled for March 29-30, 2012, and will provide a networking platform for all the real-estate players within Africa.
It is expected that the country’s real-estate developers, architects and housing finance providers will compete against players from the rest of Africa for the awards being introduced in Africa for the first time. 　

Mr. Roland Igbinoba, Director AREHF, speaking at a media interaction in Accra explained that the awards will have no monetary reward, but will be a recognition meant to celebrate the work of African real-estate developers.

He said the awards will seek to expose the world to the huge potential of the sub-sector in Africa and attract investment.

“It will serve as a motivation to real-estate and housing developers who have put in commendable effort in growing the market in Africa, and to challenge other operators.

“The academy founded the awards ceremony to appreciate those who have put in reasonable and measureable efforts in boosting the real-estate and housing finance market in the African region.

“Nominations for the award will be a contribution to innovation and creativity that translates to economic development and wealth-creation, environmental sustainability, and demonstrable public good,” said Mr. Igbinoba.

“With 12 distinctive award categories, we want to discover and celebrate real-estate and housing finance players in the region,” he remarked.

The award is sponsored by prominent international firms -- Pison Housing Company, the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association, the African Real Estate and Housing Finance Academy, Shelter Afrique and the HFC Bank (Ghana) Ltd.