THE GREENS

THE GREENS

How The Greens project is shaking up the industry

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A Responsible Answer to Ghana’s Housing Deficit Kiran Daswani, Founder of The Greens residential project, discusses its progress to date and why it signals a shift in direction for the country’s real estate market Writer: Tom Wadlow | Project Manager: Kane Weller

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hana’s construction sector has been booming for years. Since 2010, the industry has grown by more than 70 percent and employs over 300,000 people, according to the government’s statistical body. In 2015 alone, the

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Ghanaian construction market enjoyed a growth rate of 30.6 percent and accounted for 14.8 percent of GDP. Much of this growth can be attributed to a rising demand for housing, a deficit the country still struggles to overturn to this day.

However, companies such as The

Greens are looking to reverse this trend through responsible housing projects. Located in the bustling port city of Tema just outside of the capital city Accra, The Greens is a seven-acre gated community with the security, amenities and conveniences of modern living.

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Once all four phases are complete, 125 homes of varying sizes and finishes will be occupied by predominantly young, aspiring Ghanaian families. With the land purchased a little over a year ago in July 2017, Phase 1 (12 homes) has now been completed, with a further 50 homes (Phase 2) due for handover between December this year and May 2019.

Having built up considerable real estate experience working in the UAE, Kiran Daswani, the Company Founder, is determined to provide a fundamentally different offering to Ghana’s property market – a proposition centred around trust.

“It is very hard to find quality housing in Ghana for the right price,” she says. “There are generally no vetting or minimum standards to adhere by, so we have to build that trust ourselves.

“What has helped is that we haven’t taken any loans from banks or taken on any debt, so we are comfortable

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Homes start at $69,000, far more affordable than those situated in Accra

financially with the construction. Some property developments are dependent on sales in order to continue building, but we do not have that issue, so we can keep confidence with our buyers and investors.

“Our buyers have been very happy so far – we are sold out on Phase 1 and

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around 80 percent have sold on Phase 2.”

The quality Daswani refers to is also, crucially, not out of reach of ordinary Ghanaians from a financial point of view.

Starting at $69,000, the homes are far more affordable than their equivalent dwellings 30 kilometres away in Accra.

The first choice of façade, glazing and cladding solutions

At Red Point, we thrive on our impressive track record of consistent and successful delivery of projects, in time with required quality and within budget to the client.

We are passionate about staying abreast with the latest technological developments in the industry. We constantly collaborate with specialists at every stage of the project value chain to bring our customers the most up-to-date solutions for their requirements.

Al Nuqta Al Hamra Aluminium and Glazing Contracting LLC, popularly referred as ‘Red Point’ is recognized as a leading supplier of façade and glazing solutions in the

UAE, Oman and India.

In addition to façade solutions, we also design, fabricate and install doors and windows, louvered structures, canopies and conservatories, skylights, shop-fronts, entrances, automatic opening systems, and metal and stone wall cladding systems.

With a strong presence throughout our area of operations, we are capable to efficiently and effectively serve the needs of our customers. With our profound engineering capabilities, we offer an array of bespoke solutions for aluminium and glazing structure work.

OUR SERVICES CURTAIN WALL We specialize in fabrication of all types of curtain wall facades.

Our standard as well as bespoke curtain wall systems range from conventional system to semi and fully unitized systems.

CLADDING SOLUTIONS We specialize in metal composite wall claddings including ACP, SS, Zinc, and wood composite panels. We also execute stonecladding facades.

STRUCTURAL GLAZING We design fabricate and install rain-screens, climate façade solution and glazed skylights. We cover the full spectrum of twosided and four-sided structurally glazed systems.

GLASS AND GLAZING We offer services to design, fabricate and install precise glazing requirements of any complexity. In active collaboration with our global supply partners, we offer up-front technical expertise in the realm of photometric data, thermal performance, shading calculations, solar impact computation and bespoke aesthetic solutions that include ceramic fritted, sand blasted and thermally insulated glass formations.

OPENINGS AND PARTITIONS We execute doors, windows, partitions, canopies, conservatories and louvered structures.

P.O.Box 4302 Sharjah United Arab Emirates

Tel: 123-456-7890 Fax: 123-456-7890

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B5 PLUS LTD

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5 Plus Ltd was started more than a decade ago by its Founder and Chairman, Mr Mukesh Thakwani, gradually emerging to be a cynosure for African steel owing to its highquality finished products.

As a supplier, the Company gives priority to ensuring quality as well as the security of supply and its integrated supply chain helps the Company maintain a high standard of product quality and service delivery.

This in turn reduces the potential need for rework, increases reliability of service and saves its customers valuable time and money.

T +233 244 331 635 | +233 244 342600

www.b5plus.com

The Greens by numbers Situated just 30 kilometres from Accra, The Greens lies in Community 25 of Tema, a busy industrial hub on the Ghanaian coast. Key facts include: • 125 homes to be built in four phases • Prices start from $69,000 • Range of houses include: 3-bedroom detached, 3-bedroom duplex, 2-bedroom duplex and 2-bedroom terrace • Each house fitted with solar battery power backup • Located 10 kilometres from the heart of Tema, home to numerous vital amenities such as banks, hospitals, schools and shopping centres and effectively.

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Championing Local

Building up confidence with homebuyers is just one element of the authenticity The Greens has established to date.

The project has also embedded itself into the Southern Ghanaian community by employing and procuring locally where possible, with 100 percent of site workers and almost all back-office workers being Ghana nationals.

“We buy a lot of materials locally, especially from Accra where a lot of materials have either been made locally or imported already,” says Daswani. “Not only do we save time, we support local traders.

“For instance, we make our solid wooden doors here rather than importing them. Ghana is known for its quality of wood, and we make sure it is well-treated and up to the standards we set ourselves.”

Daswani and The Greens’ approach has been recognised in the form of

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a Best Property Investment Award at December 2017’s Ghana Property Awards, an event showcasing the best examples of public-private partnerships coming to fruition.

Firm foundations

Another key component to the successful delivery of the project to date has been the autonomy with which Daswani and her team operates.

“All our contracting is managed in-house,” she explains. “If we were to subcontract then our costs would be higher and we would have less control on quality.”

Keeping a firm handle on supply chain costs in turn allows The Greens to offer quality at affordable prices, with all houses even inclusive of a small solar panel designed to safeguard against power outages.

With the entire country heavily dependent on hydro power from the Akosombo dam, outages can have costly effects on homeowners, making

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Where Quality costs Less

HEAD OFFICE Kpone Barrier, Aflao Rd, Opp Kingdom Transport, Kpone - Tema Tel: (+233) 244 331 635 | (+233) 244 342600 (+233) 244 333 511 | (+233) 544 313 204

www.b5plus.com

the addition of a solar battery unit a sustainable backup. Communal streetlamps are also purely powered by solar.

“The solar panels and batteries are also upgradable,” Daswani adds.

“We believe a good proportion of our buyers will want to upgrade their systems so they can generate more power themselves.”

Daswani confirms that phases three and four will begin following the successful handover of Phase 2 properties, confident that interest in the project will continue to be strong. “It is crucial to investor confidence that we do not stop once Phase 2 has completed,” she adds.

But what about further afield?

Is Daswani looking elsewhere to replicate the model example of The Greens?

“We are actively looking for more land, so this is the first of many,” she concludes.

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26 Tema Motorway Spintex Road Accra Ghana Tel: +233 540 102 102, +233 550 555000 info@thegreensgh.com

http://thegreensgh.com

www.outlookpublishing.com