Awards For Players In Real Estate Sector

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By Douglas Akwasi Owusu

To consolidate the gains of the real estate industry in the country, the Ghana Property Express, a non governmental organization, in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Surveyors and the Ghana Estate Developers Association, has come out with an awards platform that will recognize excellence and spur players in the industry on to achieve the highest quality.

The awards ceremony will take place at the Accra International Conference Centre on July 30.

At a ceremony in Accra to launch it, Mr. Robert Wegbe, Chief Executive Officer of Property Express disclosed to the Times that his organization had recognized that the nation was emerging as an attractive and viable investment destination with the discovery of oil.

Mr. Wegbe said with that in mind, the awards have been launched to shine the spotlight on the nation’s most active and successful property agents, developers and financiers and the projects they have been responsible for.

He said categories under the awards will reward the very best examples of property development in Ghana, specifically investments, innovation, marketing, management and consultancy.

“Property has now been seen as the bedrock of the nation. The banks have recognized this and are aggressively opening branches across the country accompanied by various services to entice the public”, he pointed out.

According to him, investors have been searching for and looking to gain from quality investment opportunities that present themselves daily in the property industry, adding that the oil find has cemented these investment opportunities.

He said in the past, the structure of the property industry in the country had made it difficult for developers to compete and seek excellence.

Mr. Wegbe explained that his organization aims to improve standards in the sector and encourage businesses and individuals to seek and ensure total customer satisfaction.

“We have set up specific benchmarks which must be met by applicants for participation in the various categories. Our partners in this endeavour include the Ministry of Waters Resources Works and Housing, the Ghana Standards Board and the Insurance Commission”, he stated.

Launching the awards, Major rtd (Dr.) Mustapha Ahmed, Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, congratulated the organization for coming out with the awards to promote the real estate industry in the country.

He said Ghana’s housing deficit has become a human issue which calls for more partnerships such as what the organization had started.
He saw the launch as a clarion call on the government and GREDA to continue their partnership and dialogue to face the challenges in the housing sector.

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