Africa is rapidly urbanizing and will lead the world’s urban growth in the coming decades, says a World Bank report* published in March 2016. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, urbanization is not accompanied by the level of per-capita economic growth or housing investment that is observed elsewhere in global trends.
Ghana is far from immune from this situation, which is why the upcoming Water Africa & West Africa Building & Construction Exhibition & Seminars being held in Accra, Ghana from 22-24 June 2016 will be a timely push to provide developers and contractors with new ideas and tools to get housing construction moving faster.
A look at the same event last year provides an idea of the importance the housing and building sector gives the show organised by ACE Event Management of the UK. Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) has supported this annual construction celebration over the past eight years.
Government support
The government very early on realised the importance of getting new and cost-saving ideas into the sector and has always offered enthusiastic ministerial support, particularly with the programme of seminars that accompanies the trade exhibition.
Mrs Tracey Nolan-Shaw, Managing Director of organisers, ACE Event Management, says that the event aims “to create a two-way flow of information for visitors and participants which will help them to analyze their sector needs more precisely and set in place the necessary steps for expansion and improvement in these important areas.” Her company has been working in Africa since the 1990s providing vital information channels in various infrastructure sectors including water supply and sanitation, which is also included in the upcoming event under the Water Africa label.
In the past, exhibitors in the trade show have come from all points of the compass. Last year, countries represented included: China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA. This year will see a very similar mix.
