URBAN ECOSYSTEMS
This is just the start for Africa property
African real estate is crying out for pioneering investors, as the continent has been slow to gain traction. But opportunity beckons and property pioneers have taken the first steps in shaping Africa’s urban landscapes, constructing landmark malls, hotels and office blocks that could be called iconic. "This is just the start. Modern, fully functioning cities require a well-oiled system of residential, commercial and industrial development and civil infrastructure, with the real estate skills and services to match," says Selwyn Blieden, head of Africa coverage, commercial property finance at Barclays Africa Group. A "local property ecosystem" would need to emerge to take over from where the big-ticket, mostly foreign, private equity-funded pioneers had left off. Blieden was one of the thought leaders invited to last week’s Africa Property Investment Summit and Expo, held at the Sandton Convention Centre. Without an effective, self-sustaining ecosystem, including all the key component...
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