Property Express News 23 08 25

This year’s Housing Fair by the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) will focus on Ghana’s housing deficit and promote technology-enabled, eco-friendly homes.The Housing Fair, set for August 28 to 30 at the Accra Mall food court, will bring together developers, banks, input suppliers and investors to explore solutions to the estimated 1.8 million housing gap in the country.

Director of Marketing and Sales at GCGL, Franklin Sowa, explained that the fair formed part of the company’s efforts to contribute to national development beyond publishing news. He noted that increasing rural-urban migration into cities such as Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi had driven up housing demand, further compounded by an influx of foreigners into Ghana for business and investment.

Organised on the theme, “Technology-Enabled and Eco-Friendly Housing: Now and the Future,” the event will highlight smart technology integration in homes and sustainable building practices. Mr Sowa said smart homes, though new to many Ghanaians, are a growing global trend and the fair will set the tone for adoption in the local market. “We want to deal with technology integration into homes to make homes in Ghana the same as homes everywhere else, because now it’s a global conversation,” he said.

The fair will also target potential homeowners, renters and investors, including those interested in facilities such as Airbnb properties.The Minister of Works and Housing, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, will officially open the event.

The 2025 edition of the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL) Housing Fair will bring together stakeholders in Ghana’s real estate industry to promote smart and eco-friendly housing solutions.The three-day event, running from August 28 to 30 at the Accra Mall food court, will provide a one-stop marketplace for developers, financial institutions, suppliers, investors and the public to engage on housing opportunities.

The fair will open with a dialogue session where institutions including the Lands Commission, State Housing Company and the Ministry of Works and Housing will engage participants on policy frameworks, land acquisition and affordable housing initiatives.

Mr Franklin Sowa, GCGL’s Director of Marketing and Sales, said funding, input material supply and quality remained key challenges in the sector, adding that the fair would provide practical insights and solutions.
Exhibitors expected include Lakeside Estate, Star Properties, Access Bank, African Concrete Products, Regimanuel Gray Limited, Prabon Greenfield, State Housing Company, Assured Developers, JL Properties, Affordable Luxury Homes and Rocksters Roofing Systems.

MTN and Samsung are headline sponsors. MTN will showcase smart home security and connectivity solutions while Samsung will present its range of technology-driven housing propositions. According to Mr Sowa, the Housing Fair is not only about viewing properties but also a platform for learning and decision-making. “Expect a solution-based one market on a sector that can shape your life, can inform you on your decisions into the future, as far as your real estate and smart home interests are concerned,” he said.

Ghana’s strengthening currency has brought relief to many sectors, but cement prices remain stubbornly high, creating a major setback for the construction industry.Despite the local currency appreciating by about 40 per cent against the US dollar since January, the price of a bag of cement continues to hover between GHS90 (US$8.24) and GHS120 (US$10.99).
The unyielding cost of cement is delaying projects and frustrating contractors nationwide. “Over the last three months we hardly got a call or a job,” said Issah Ismaila Dambaro, project manager at Trust Construction and Supply Services, explaining that many clients are suspending projects in hopes that prices will fall.

Government efforts to bring transparency to the sector—such as Legislative Instrument 2480, which requires manufacturers to disclose ex-factory prices—have so far failed to ease the situation.The sector’s struggles are weighing heavily on Ghana’s economy. The construction industry contracted by 2.8 per cent in 2023, following a four per cent decline in 2022. The persistent high cost of cement also threatens efforts to close the nation’s 1.8 million-unit housing deficit—the largest in West Africa.

Analysts and industry stakeholders are now urging an urgent review of cement production costs and pricing mechanisms to ensure the construction sector benefits from the broader economic gains being recorded elsewhere.

Barcelona—an iconic tourist destination—is witnessing a dramatic shift: bustling streets lie empty, once-thriving markets are deserted, and popular retail outlets like ALDI have shuttered during what should be the peak travel season.
 Long-time residents have taken matters into their own hands—some even staging hunger strikes or showering tourists with water pistol attacks—to protest soaring rents, surging housing prices, and the unchecked spread of short-term rentals like Airbnb.
 
In response, city leaders are rolling out bold measures through 2028: a total ban on short-term holiday rentals, rent caps, and redesigns of tourist hotspots like the Sagrada Familia. The aim? Return roughly 10,000 housing units to residents and preserve the city's character while managing its tourism-driven pressures. 

Source : Joycelyn Marigoold -Property Express News