The Chief Executive Officer, 3invest
Limited, Ms. Ruth Obih, has disclosed the firm’s readiness to unite
professionals in the built environment at this year’s edition of Real
Estate Unite, an annual event aimed at redefining business and
investment in the Nigerian real estate sector.
Obih said this year’s edition, which is
the second in the series, would seek to answer questions on land use;
how to advance real estate for economic growth in the country; the state
of airports and railways as well as facility maintenance and the place
of tourism and hospitality in the country’s real estate sector.
She said, “Having highlighted the major
issues barring our nation’s real estate from reaching its economic
potential, we realised that infrastructure and urbanisation is a major
driver of emerging markets. Reformation of our laws is the key to
unlocking our housing finance sector.
“In order to develop strategies to
tackle these issues, we have lined up speakers from key sectors, who are
key decision makers and leading opinion shapers.
“We have chosen infrastructure because
the potential of real estate, especially commercial hospitality and
residential, cannot be harnessed without it.”
According to Obih, the theme of the
event holding between October 17 and 18, ‘Advancing Nigeria’s real
estate for economic growth’, is designed to expose the prospects of the
country’s real estate sector.
She said the award segment of the
programme was conceived to elevate standards; while the conference would
offer practical solutions through experience speakers; and the
international perspective would be projected through the exhibition.
“Last year, we highlighted some major
issues at our conference, and our research shows increased activities in
the real estate industry since the inception of Real Estate Unite in
2012.
“It may sound coincidental, but the
government is recognising and putting real estate at the forefront of
the nation’s activities and recognising that unlocking potential in the
real estate industry is integral to economic development of the
country,” Obih said.
A representative of Diamond Bank Plc,
Mr. Anya Duroha, said the bank was focused on mortgage financing in the
real estate sector, hence the need to partner with 3invest on the
forthcoming conference and exhibition.
“We realised that people need long term
financing for housing and we are incorporating that. Our core competence
is retail banking and we focus on mortgage with a tenure range of about
20 to 25 years,” he said.
