Real Estate

Although far from the conditions of the early 2000s, South Africa’s property market has remained resilient, despite challenging macroeconomic conditions. Rising demand for affordable housing and a host of “new city” projects unveiled in the past year have kept the residential market steady, while A-grade commercial space – albeit on the verge...

While real estate investment trusts (REITs) are relative newcomers to the South African market, with the regime governing the investment vehicle codified for the first time in 2013, they have outperformed other classes of assets in the first three quarters of 2015. Looking ahead, the residential component of the property market, which has yet...

Although South Africa’s construction industry remains a major economic engine, the industry has struggled to maintain pre-2010 highs, when World Cup-related work kept annual growth in double digits. The years since have been marked by project delays, labour unrest and a subdued macroeconomic environment which saw figures for employment,...

As Ghana’s economy has garnered increasing international attention over the past few years, so has its previously rather overlooked real estate sector. Foreign investors have come in to finance office blocks, malls and residential development, bringing muchneeded modern property onto an undersupplied market. While the economic slowdown in 2014...

Like many emerging markets with fast-growing populations, Ghana faces a housing shortage. It must tackle a crunch between a public sector with limited resources to provide social housing and a private sector that sees little profitably in such developments.

Growing year-on-year as a contributor to the economy, Ghana’s construction sector is increasingly dynamic and led by private sector participants. While parts of the real estate market have slowed in recent years, demand for low-cost housing remains as strong as ever. Government investment is a major driver of the sector’s momentum, with a...