Lagos will host a two-day property summit, the West Africa Property Investment Summit (WAPI) on 28-29 November with more than 70 speakers and close on 400 senior level delegates eager to assess investment prospects for the West African region. The city is hosting the summit for the first time.

Themed  “Changing the West African narrative”, WAPI will  focus on how investors and occupiers are adapting to the changing West African real estate markets. Broll Property Group, leading real estate advisors and consultants are the Platinum Sponsor of the third annual summit. Broll West Africa executives will share their insights and expertise into the West African real estate markets.

Broll Nigeria CEO Bolaji Edu says: “The property markets in West Africa keep expanding and investors see opportunities in what is, by global standards, still an immature and emerging market. Conferences such as this one enable topical and relevant issues to be discussed, thus helping to improve the transparency, professionalism and knowledge base of investors, developers and occupiers. Broll is proud to be the Platinum Sponsor for the third year running.”

Edu will join three other panelists to explore the role of pension funds, stock exchanges and regulators in stimulating the region’s real estate markets. He also takes part in a debate on how to reconcile the disparity between the property valuation system and West African economic realities.

Nnenna Alintah, Head of CRES and Research for Broll Nigeria, will deliver an overview of trends in the corporate occupier sector with a focus on Ghana and Nigeria. Later on Day One she moderates a panel of eminent industry members as they discuss optimising rental income and balancing the risks and opportunities offered by the sector. It is expected that demand in the West African office and retail real estate markets will remain flat into 2018, with Ghana experiencing an unprecedented supply side boom and Nigeria battling high vacancy levels.

As Head of Broll Retail Management and Leasing Nigeria, Gavin Cox is uniquely placed to put the high street versus shopping mall debate in perspective, while Jonathan Lotter, Retail Portfolio Executive Broll Ghana, will give the inside track on retail property investment in the Ghanaian context.

The summit will be opened by Prince Gbolahan Wasiu Lawal, the Honourable Commissioner, Ministry of Housing of Lagos State. He will address delegates on urban development and regeneration plans, and improvements to the state transportation infrastructure as contributing factors in an aggressive programme to attract investment to the region.

“The improved economic conditions and forex stability have led to increased corporate confidence and we believe the confidence in the recent fall in rental levels may have begun to bottom-out which bodes well for real estate investments,” adds Edu.