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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,
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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