Africa Real Estate Festival unveiled with focus on sustainable, inclusive cities
Accra has been unveiled as the host city for a new continental platform aimed at redefining Africa’s real estate and urban development discourse, following the official media launch of the Africa Real Estate Festival (AREF) 2026.
The launch, held in Accra on Friday, January 16, 2026, brought together government officials, diplomats, developers, investors, industry professionals and the media, with discussions centred on repositioning real estate as a driver of sustainable, people-centred urban growth rather than a purely commercial activity.
Addressing the gathering, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AREF, Mr Desmond Oteng, said the festival was conceived as a movement responding to the urgency of Africa’s rapid urbanisation and the need to rethink how cities are planned and developed.
“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.
Mr Oteng explained that AREF seeks to reposition real estate as a catalyst for economic transformation, climate responsibility, cultural identity, youth empowerment, diaspora engagement and inclusive urban growth. He announced that the maiden festival would be held in Accra on April 18 and 19, 2026, bringing together policymakers, developers, investors, architects, planners, financial institutions, prop-tech innovators and diaspora stakeholders from across Africa and the global African community.
Although Ghana is hosting the inaugural edition, he stressed that AREF is designed as 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.
International interest in the initiative was highlighted by the participation of the High Commissioner of Barbados to Ghana, Her Excellency Juliette Bynoe-Sutherland, who announced Barbados’ involvement in the festival and 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 drew on 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 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 pointed to growing interest among Barbadians and Caribbean investors in Ghana, noting increased travel and enquiries about property ownership following visits to the country.
From a government perspective, Mr Agyemang of the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President outlined Ghana’s evolving strategy to deepen diaspora participation in the real estate sector, with a shift 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 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 as key priorities. He also indicated that government was considering incentives for commercial real estate developments that could serve as logistics hubs for intra-African trade.
Mr Agyemang commended the organisers for the pace at which the initiative had been developed and reaffirmed government’s openness to partnerships that strengthen Ghana’s real estate ecosystem.
Organisers say AREF is intended to influence policy dialogue, attract credible global capital, promote responsible development, elevate African design excellence and build investor confidence in Africa as a serious real estate destination. As cities across the continent expand at an unprecedented pace, AREF 2026 is positioning itself as a platform to help ensure that Africa’s urban future is built around dignity, opportunity and shared prosperity.