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Ghana To Host 2026 Africa Real Estate Festival, bridging investment, policy, and culture
The Africa Real Estate Festival (AREF) is set to return in 2026 with an ambitious vision to redefine urban living across the continent.
Scheduled for April 18-19, 2026, in Accra, the festival will convene under the theme: “Innovation Meets Identity: Designing Africa’s Next Living Experience – Positioning Real Estate as More Than Just Property.”
Speaking at the press launch in Accra on Friday, January 16, 2026, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AREF, Desmond Oteng, described the festival as a movement rather than a one-off event, driven by the urgency of Africa’s rapid urbanisation.
“Africa is urbanising faster than any other continent. By 2050, over 1.4 billion Africans will live in cities, yet our real estate conversations still focus on buildings and prices instead of people, quality of life, and sustainability,” he said.
According to him, AREF seeks to reposition real estate as a catalyst for economic transformation, climate responsibility, cultural identity, youth empowerment, diaspora engagement, and inclusive urban growth.
The maiden festival will be held in Accra on April 18 and 19, 2026, and will convene policymakers, developers, investors, architects, planners, financial institutions, prop-tech innovators, and diaspora stakeholders from across Africa and the global African community.
Although hosted in Ghana, he stressed that AREF is a continental platform with plans to expand into other African countries.
“Our focus is intentional city building. Africa does not need more unplanned cities or gated silos. We need connected communities and functional urban ecosystems that work for people,” he noted.
The festival seeks to position real estate as a catalyst for cultural expression, technological innovation, and sustainable economic growth.
He went on to disclose that the event will bring together over 1,500 delegates, over 100 exhibitors from more than 30 countries, and over 50 renowned speakers, alongside significant government and diaspora representation.
International interest in AREF was underscored by the presence of Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana, who announced Barbados’ participation in the festival. She described AREF as a practical bridge between diplomacy, investment, and sustainable development.
“Real estate today is no longer just about property ownership. It is about the full ecosystem, capital flows, lifestyle assets, and long-term value creation,” she said.
She highlighted Barbados’ experience, where real estate contributes about 18 percent of national GDP, supported by political stability, clear legal frameworks, progressive tax policies, and strong community education.
According to her, the Barbadian model offers valuable lessons for Ghana and other African coastal states, particularly in tourism-linked real estate, coastal conservation, health tourism, retirement living, and sustainable community planning.
The High Commissioner also revealed growing interest among Barbadians and Caribbean investors in Ghana, noting a sharp increase in travel and enquiries about property ownership following visits to the country.
From the government perspective, the Deputy Director of Diaspora Affairs Office of the President, Nana Kyere Agyemang, outlined Ghana’s evolving strategy to deepen diaspora participation in the real estate sector. He explained that the focus is shifting from informal remittances to structured investment and asset creation.
“Our objective is to move beyond remittances for consumption and toward remittances for asset building,” he said.
He identified three key priority areas: capital market integration through real estate investment trusts and diaspora bonds, improved regulatory transparency through digital land governance, and sustainability under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
He also noted plans to incentivise commercial real estate developments that serve as logistics hubs for intra-African trade.
Mr. Agyemang commended the AREF team for the speed and commitment with which the initiative has been executed, reaffirming government openness to partnerships that strengthen Ghana’s real estate ecosystem.
AREF’s unique model bridges real estate with sectors such as technology, finance, tourism, logistics, media, and culture, creating a shared platform for investment and partnership.
The festival will offer a curated, multi-faceted programme designed to inform, connect, and inspire.
Core pillars include the strategic Investment & Policy Conference; the transactional hub of the Real Estate Exhibition and Diaspora Investment Pavilion; the aspirational Luxury Experience & Lifestyle Showcase; and the forward-looking Cultural Festival & Innovation Matchmaking segment.
This will be complemented by a series of interactive workshops, demonstrations, and structured networking forums, ensuring a comprehensive and actionable experience for all participants.
With a target of generating over $200 million in investment leads, AREF aims to boost investor confidence and foster cross-sector deals. The event will also produce The AREF Report 2026, a data-driven publication on real estate trends and opportunities across Africa.
Beyond 2026, AREF plans to expand into a continent-wide circuit, hosting regional editions to promote sustainable urban innovation, economic collaboration, and cultural celebration.
Organised by the pan-African organisation Africa Real Estate Festival, the event is supported by year-round initiatives in research, PropTech acceleration, policy advocacy, and networking.
About Africa Real Estate Festival (AREF)
AREF is a pan-African platform dedicated to empowering the real estate ecosystem through events, research, innovation programs, and partnerships.
It connects all stakeholders across the value chain to drive sustainable growth, investment, and culturally grounded development in Africa’s built environment.
High level speakers at the forum include; H. E. Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland Barbados, High Commissioner to Ghana,
The Executive Director of DAD Micro-Credit Limited (MCL), Mrs Christiana S. Dzitse-Awuku, has called for urgent and collective action to prevent the recurring loss of lives and destruction caused by flooding during the rainy season.
Reacting to the devastating effects of last Monday’s heavy rainfall in parts of the country, she expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones and sympathised with residents whose homes, businesses and livelihoods were affected.
In a statement signed by Mrs Dzitse-Awuku and copied to The Spectator in Accra on Friday, she said although rainfall was a natural occurrence, the destruction associated with it was largely preventable.
According to her, DAD Micro-Credit Limited provides financial support to owners of small and medium scale enterprises, the majority of whom are women.
She noted that the recent heavy rains have significantly affected these businesses, resulting in many clients losing their capital and facing challenges rebuilding their livelihoods.
She noted that clogged drains, indiscriminate dumping of refuse, poor drainage infrastructure, and buildings constructed on waterways, and disregard for environmental and planning regulations had worsened the impact of heavy rains over the years.
“This is a wake-up call to all of us. The responsibility does not rest solely on government institutions. It is a shared duty,” she stated.
Ms Dzitse-Awuku urged citizens to desist from dumping waste into drains, maintain clean surroundings, and comply with environmental and planning regulations to reduce the risk of flooding.
She also called on the relevant authorities to intensify efforts to desilt drains regularly, remove unauthorised structures obstructing waterways without fear or favour, and strictly enforce city planning laws.
According to her, investing in preventive measures would save lives and reduce the enormous cost of rebuilding communities after disasters.
She appealed to government, local authorities, traditional leaders, civil society organisations and all Ghanaians to work together to build safer, cleaner and more resilient communities.
Ms Dzitse-Awuku stressed that the country must not wait for another rainy season to revisit the same challenges, emphasising that every life lost to flooding was one too many.
She offered prayers for bereaved families and those who had lost their homes and property, expressing hope that the nation would be spared further tragedies.
“The Ghana we develop today will be our safe haven tomorrow,” she stated.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
Last week’s heavy rains that got parts of Accra heavily flooded have left residences and offices in difficult situations as they try to gather the remains of their properties.
“Life after the flood has been difficult because we have lost a lot of things; some were also destroyed. We are currently gathering the pieces left but as to whether they would serve any use, we can’t tell for now,” a resident of Adabraka told The Spectator on Wednesday.
Along the North Industrial Area enclave, a number of office structures were flooded with water rising to unimaginable height.
The New Times Corporation (NTC) and other nearby establishments were not spared the flood ordeal as they became receptacles for excess water that were supposed to flow in the choked gutters around.
For workers of the NTC, the days after the flood were ones for cleaning and putting the offices in shape.
Staff had to get documents, furniture and other equipment dried, affecting production on the first day after the flood.
The situation was similar to what was seen in nearby offices where The Spectator visited.
Visits to some communities around ‘Circle’, Alajo, and Kaneshie revealed heaps of rubbish left behind by the flood waters.
In some of the areas, floodwaters have negatively impacted streets, gutters and homes with those areas littered with plastic waste, broken furniture, mud and other debris.
In some of the huge drains, vehicles were seen stuck in heavy mud.
This waste and stagnant pools of water have become a major concern for residents as they generated an unpleasant odour. A number of residents in the affected areas have since called for urgent intervention from local authorities.
Some residents said the waste has still blocked drains, increasing the risk of further flooding should the rains come again.
Others expressed concern that the accumulated rubbish could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and thereby, expose the communities to diseases such as malaria and cholera.
At the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and Odawna market areas, traders continue to tidy up their stalls and shops.
By Linda Abrefi Wadie
