Redefining the Future of Real Estate in Africa: the 21st Annual AfRES Conference

It is a great privilege to welcome you to the 21st AfRES Annual conference taking place at the Accra Marriott Hotel in Ghana. We are grateful to our sponsors, partners, presenters and attendees without who the conference would not have been possible. We are very positive that the discussions during the conference will be of immense benefit to attendees. The theme chosen for the 2022 conference is “Redefining the future of Real Estate in Africa”. Undoubtedly the real estate industry plays a major role in the development mix in many economies. The recent global health pandemic has been an unprecedented disruptor in the world s social and economic fabric. The housing market has slowed down due to a decline in economic activities, employment and household incomes. The home office has become a crucial extension of the office space in many organisations. Real estate professionals have had to adopt digital tools such as Skype, Google Meet and Zoom to conduct house inspection in order to minimize the risk of infection. The implications of these dynamics will redefine the future of real estate in Africa and the rest of the world. The 2022 conference brings together real estate professionals, academics and other allied groups to discuss the changing dynamics of the real estate market, the emerging implications and the policy recommendations for governments, businesses and households. This year we a high number of submitted abstracts at 85 abstracts and 30 papers for refereeing. We appreciate the Chair of the Scientific/ Technical Committee, as well as his team for their work in reviewing the submitted abstracts and papers. The feedback to the authors was very helpful in developing the papers and finalizing them in the format presented. The peer-reviewed papers were double-blind reviewed to ensure high standards and international comparability, and also provide some guidance to authors. Some abstracts were declined as they were not appropriate for this conference. The West African AfRES chapter is grateful to all those who assisted and contributed in bringing this conference together and making it happen. We are eternally indebted to the hardworking members of the local organising committee who took the task upon themselves and worked assiduously to ensure a successful conference. We say thank you and we appreciate your efforts and commitment to AfRES.