Property developers, suppliers and owners were provided an opportunity to showcase their best projects and services from across sub-Saharan Africa at the annual Africa Property Investment (API) (www.APIEvents.com) Awards which were on held on  the 20 of September 2018.

Held at the 9^th API Summit and Expo 2018, Africa’s largest investment and development conference, recognised innovation and outstanding achievement across the entire property industry in 11 categories. The categories covered projects and the leaders shaping the future of Africa’s real estate sector. These categeries covered: Retail, Office, Mixed Use, Green Building, Hotel, Alternative Asset, Architectural Design, High-end residential, logistics and best women in Property.

The winning developments and people came from Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Nigeria, Mozambique, Namibia, Mauritius and Rwanda, and critically provided a moment of peer recognition for completed projects, says the managing Director of API Events Kfir Rusin.

The projects were judged on a wide range of criteria including location, infrastructure and transport access, integration into the environment, originality of the concept, technical and architectural quality, services offered, sensitivity to the local community, innovation, sustainability, corporate staff involvement, response to market demands, financial performance, occupancy, and the impact of the project on economic convergence.

Kfir Rusin, Managing Director of API Events: “We congratulate all the winners and finalists as well as their respective project teams. They have set an exceptionally high standard for real estate developments across sub-Saharan Africa and continue to shape the African built environment landscape. API Events is proud to be associated with these companies and wishes to aid in further pushing the boundaries of excellence for African property development.”

The calibre of entries was world class and the panel of judges had a challenging time selecting the winners, nevertheless they managed to hone in on the worthy projects. Here are the winners for each category from the  2018 Africa Property Investment Awards.

1: BEST RETAIL DEVELOPMENT: Baia Mall, Maputo, Mozambique

Baia Mall is a first of it's kind, institutional quality shopping mall in Maputo that is built to world class standards and also caters to the needs of the local Mozambican community.

AWARD WINNER: Actis Africa LLP

2: BEST OFFICE DEVELOPMENT: Ecobank Ghana, Accra

GhanaEcobank Ghana is much more than standalone design, it forms part of its unique setting in every aspect. The spirit of Ghana is supported from the contextual facade to its upbeat interior. Taking into consideration the challenging weather patterns and long distances over which the project was managed, the project required a hands on approach from all consultants at all times.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: ARC ARCHITECTS

3: BEST MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT: Two Rivers Mall, Nairobi,  Kenya

The Two Rivers experience caters for work providing modern spaces that help people save time, work efficiently with easy access to other part of town. These spaces also integrate green technologies and intelligent building management systems for effective, sustainable resource usage.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: CENTUM REAL ESTATE

4: BEST GREEN-BUILDING DEVELOPMENT: Strathmore University, Kenya

Strathmore Law School (SLS) is one of the constituent schools of Strathmore University (SU), a leading non-profit private university in Kenya, which aims at serving the Kenyan society to the best of its ability. SU holds a peerless reputation for quality in academic and professional education as well as personal formation.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: Questworks

5: BEST HOTEL DEVELOPMENT: Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda

The convention centre managed by the Radisson Blu is the first of its kind in Rwanda. With state-of-the-art equipment and facilities this land mark can host up to 5000 delegates at a time. It consists of 18 meeting rooms including an auditorium with a capacity of 2600 seats.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: Radisson Hotel Group

6: BEST ALTERNATIVE ASSET ( REFURBISHED ASSET): KBC, Kigali, Rwanda

KBC is a landmark commercial building that was a household name since 2003 until it closed for a major facelift in 2015. The property is located literally across the iconic Kigali Convention Center and the Radisson Blu Hotel. The geographical positioning of KBC is so central that it strategically fits between CBD and the major middle & high income residential neighbourhoods.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: Century Rwanda

7: BEST ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN: Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda

The convention centre managed by the Radisson Blu is the first of its kind in Rwanda. With state-of-the-art equipment and this land mark can host up to 5000 delegates at a time.

It consists of 18 meeting rooms including an auditorium with a capacity of 2600 seats. The versatile meeting space that can host from small group meetings and trainings to  international conferences, sports events, wedding ceremonies, as well as exhibitions, is the perfect destination for meeting and events planners.

AWARD WINNING TEAM:  Radisson Hotel Group

8: HIGH-END RESIDENTIAL: Primevillas, Lusaka, Zambia

Primevillas, a housing complex right in the heart of Lusaka the Capital City of Zambia. It is in the center of the Diplomatic Triangle where almost all of the embassies are located and the State House. This neighborhood boasts of being the safest in the city if not the country and positioned to enjoy the proximity to restaurants, shopping centers, hospitals and the Lusaka Golf Club. The Primevillas are designed with modern luxury and prestigious townhouse concepts to reflect the personality and taste of those accustomed to the best in quality design, finishes and lifestyle.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: Umran Construction Limited

9: BEST LOGISTICS/INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT: ALP North Distribution Centre, Nairobi, Kenya

ALP North development consists of three class-A distribution centres. The first two units measure 13,634 square metres each and remaining unit measures 19,661 square metres. All units are designed as multi-tenant facilities. ALP commenced speculative warehouse construction in May 2017 and delivered the first phase comprising the first two units by 31st July 2018. Phase two comprising of the remaining third unit will be delivered in April 2019. Pre-leases have already been signed with international and regional companies on the first two units.

AWARD WINNING TEAM: African Logistics Properties (ALP)

10: BEST WOMAN IN REAL ESTATE: Bronwyn Corbett, CEO, Grit Real Estate Income Group

Bronwyn Corbett lead the successful listing of the first Pan-African Real Estate Income Group and the first Mauritian-domiciled company to list on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (the company was listed on 31 July 2018). Pioneers in the African market, Bronwyn Corbett is a trailblazer. Within 3 years, the portfolio has grown to circa $600 mil, across 7 countries. The group is listed on the JSE, Stock Exchange of Mauritius and the London Stock Exchange (post July 2018). Bronwyn Corbett is the CEO of Mara Delta Property Holdings. She has significant corporate finance and deal making experience and has played an instrumental role in the JSE listing of Delta Property Fund Limited in 2012 where she held the positions of CFO and COO prior to taking up the leadership role at MaraDelta. During her tenure at Delta Limited, Bronwyn spearheaded the diversification of the REIT’s funding sources into the debt capital markets, leading to the establishment of a ZAR2 billion Domestic Medium Term Note Programme (DMTN) program.

11: BEST HOUSING DEVELOPMENT: Victoria Crest Homes, Lagos, Nigeria

AWARD WINNING TEAM:  Nedcom Oaks Ltd