Africa Home Building Magazine

The African Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine

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Dear valued readers, Our warm appreciations to you and our partners amidst this uncomfortable pandemic. We thank you for your continued support. The industry has had its fair share of COVID19 cases, but there will hopefully, be relief soon. Please keep to protocols as the virus strain continues to spread throughout Europe.

If you would be so kind as to keep assessing our content online which is now free and available for all? We have now introduced Property Express virtually (PE virtual)(https://virtual.ghanapropertyawards.com) which is available to all subscribers for conferences and forums. We invite you to register and share your knowledge with other stakeholders.

We wish you a felicitous New Year.

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CONTENTS 4 9 18 23 28 50 58 62 66 72 78 84 88 90 92 98

GHANA AMONGST THE TOP 3 AFRICAN MARKETS IN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS – REPORT DIGITAL POST CODE IN AFRICA, HOW GOOD IS IT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES? BUYING A PROPERTY IN GHANA. CONVEYANCING, HOW DOES IT WORK? LAKESIDE ESTATE JOHN WATSON’S PERSPECTIVE OF THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON REAL ESTATE AND THE CONSTRUCTION MARKET IN GHANA QATAR AIRWAYS-FOCUS ON AFRICA NEW INFRASTRUCTURE IDEAS AROUND THE WORLD THE ARCHITECT INFRASTRUCTRAL LANDSCAPE OF CAPE COAST DINING, RESTAURANT AND HOSPITALITY. IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TOURISM TRANSPORTATION, HIGH SPEED RAIL IN AFRICA. WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS? UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN THE REAL ESTATE MARKET THE REAL TIME EXPERIENCE HOW PREPARED IS THE AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURAL MARKET IN THE AFCFTA ERA AFCFTA SECRETARIAT COMMISSIONED IN ACCRA AS FREE TRADE IS SET TO BEGIN IN JANUARY 2021 CLIMATE CHANGE AND PANDEMIC. ROOT CAUSES DIASPORA GHANA PROPERTY AWARDS & EXHIBITION 2020-2021 NOVEMBER 2020 LISTINGS

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GHANA AMONGST THE TOP 3 AFRICAN MARKETS IN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS – REPORT

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total of US$7.9 billion of investments involving private participation in infrastructure since the year 2000 put Ghana among the top three Sub-Saharan African markets, after South Africa and Nigeria.

According to Fitch Solutions latest appraisal of the Ghanaian economy, considerable Private Public Partnership track record and pipeline underscore private infrastructure investment opportunities in the country since the year 2000.

“Our positive outlook for private participation in Ghana’s infrastructure sector is underpinned by the country’s considerable PPP track record and project pipeline, with energy and transport being key sectors for private investment opportunities”, it pointed out.

Furthermore, it said “according to our proprietary Fitch Solutions Infrastructure Key Projects Database, public-private partnerships account for almost 20 percent of planned infrastructure projects in Ghana, highlighting that PPPs will continue to play a significant role in Ghana’s infrastructure sector.”

The pipeline of planned PPPs again it stressed underscores the significant potential of Ghana’s power sector, as electricity projects account for the pipeline’s largest share. Independent power producers (IPP) play a significant role in Ghana’s power sector, with IPPs contributing a large share of installed capacity.

ing US$1 billion, has prompted the Electricity Company of Ghana to renegotiate standing power purchasing agreements (PPA) with independent power producers.

“While renegotiations of take-or-pay agreements, which oblige the public utility to pay a fee for electricity it does not purchase from IPPs, will likely weigh on investor interest in the short term, we expect that they will contribute to lower electricity prices and a more financially sustainable IPP programme, particularly if coupled with a reform of electricity distribution”, it emphasized.

“A recent concession of distribution in Ghana was cancelled quickly after its award, but we expect that the government’s existing readiness for privatising distribution will increase further following the national elections in December 2020”, it noted.

In the transport sector, Fitch Solutions said the prevalence of debilitated colonial railways will continue to provide ample opportunities for high-value brownfield concessions, following the completion of capital intensive port projects.

Currently, two rail projects worth a total of US$2.8 billion are being constructed as public-private partnerships respectively involving German and Indian companies and financiers, indicating foreign investors’ confidence in Ghana’s potential as a gateway to West Africa and its hinterland.

However, a significant debt burden, with outstanding arrears towards IPPs exceed-

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OFFICE OF RYUE NISHIZAWA DESIGNED THE WAVY ROOF TO FOLLOW THE CONTOURS OF ITS SITE

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rocky high land that juts out to the water. The dips of the undulations also segment the long, curved house to mark different areas in place of walls.

“The roof descends to the ground in places and gently divides the space beneath into segments, which determine the form,” said the studio.

“There are no walls to speak of – it is like a building of ground and roof only in the midst of abundant nature.”

House in Los Vilos’ monolithic roof is held up by glazed walls and steel columns on the perimeter. The arches span between angular lines that the studio chose to create larger openings to the surroundings.

“In terms of structure, arches that connect diagonally-arranged landing points make it possible to create large spans while opening various directions toward the surrounding landscape,” Office of Ryue Nishizawa continued.

“The space comes with a diversity of openness that can never be achieved with classic arch structures such as the vault roof,” it said.

Wavy concrete roof covers weekend retreat in Chile by Ryue Nishizawa

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“The space comes with a diversity of openness that can never be achieved with classic arch structures such as the vault roof,” it said.

The roof divides the house into three areas: the sauna at the front, a bedroom and living room in the middle, and a kitchen and dining that extends to a terrace at the rear. At this far end, the roof lifts up at an angle to cover an outdoor space.

The board-marked concrete slab roof is left exposed throughout the interiors, and paired with wooden floors and furnishings.

The kitchen has three self-standing wood islands that do not obstruct the view, while the adjoining dining room is furnished with a black table and pale chairs. White pendant lights hang from the ceiling above.

Nishizawa’s firm created House in Los Vilos as part of private development Ocho Quebradas, which translates as Eight Ravines, led by Chilean developer Phillipe Godoy.

The project tasked eight Japanese architects and eight Chilean architects to build retreats on the rural site, including Kengo Kuma, Sou Fujimoto and Felipe Assadi.

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DIGITAL POST CODE IN AFRICA, HOW GOOD IS IT FOR OUR COMMUNITIES?

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ince properties often don’t have a house number or name and street signs are rarely visible, local landmarks like bars, banks or even trees are used instead to help people find their way.

But a new, home-grown mobile app wants to change how people get around, putting an end to the confusion faced by everyone from ambulance drivers, to bus drivers, taxis and couriers. Instead of using a church, tree or street stall to locate a home or business in Ghana, the country’s government has launched a digital system where every property across the nation has a unique code as its address.

The app, GhanaPostGPS, was created and delivered by Accra-based Vokacom. Through the app a user can generate their digital address with the aid of geocoding technology, cutting out the need for convoluted navigation instructions. Ghana, like many developing countries, lacks a formal addressing system, instead of a number and a street name, often landmarks, be it a junction, tree or colored gate are used to describe a location.

Speaking at the launch, president Nana Akufo-Addo said GhanaPostGPS’s digital addresses will help formalize the economy by bringing more people into the tax system, improve property ownership data, and bring efficiency to service delivery.

It could also lower the cost of business: “once your address can be located, the risk premium charged by banks will be lower.

Businesses can now produce at lower costs, and will have enough funds for reinvestments,” he said. Studies have shown that up to 88% of Ghana’s employment (pdf) is reliant on the informal sector. A large informal sector usually means a government will struggle to collect income tax from workers.

But the app’s launch has not been without controversy. While its had many supporters and around 150, 000 downloads, it also has loud critics, on social and traditional media.

The complaints have been over the app’s usability, cost, security concerns as well as accusations that it’s a rip-off of existing services already available for free. Some have questioned why Ghanaian app SnooCODE, which has been around since 2012 and also generates unique postcodes, was not shortlisted in the application process.

Since launching the app on Oct. 18, 2017 government officials have repeatedly countered the critics across a range of local media, saying they ran an open, competitive tender, and the $2.5 million they paid for the app covered the backend solutions, hardware, analytics, google licensing, marketing, tax, and technical support.

Afrifa also disputed claims users can be tracked using the app, and emphasized the system was regularly checked and its security tested. SnooCODE and AsaaseGPS are among a group of relatively new apps developed off advancements in digital geographic positioning system technology. Earlier this year Nigeria’s postal service teamed up with UK’s What3Words to help improve its delivery efficiency. The technology has made it possilbe for companies like Uber and ecommerce players to roll out services in cities that lack formal urban planning and address systems.

While the outcry has been loud, Ghanaian IT professional Ethel Cofie felt that while some criticism had been political, within the tech community the intentions were good. It was inspired to start a tech chamber to work with the government on future tech developments. “Government has a lot of digital dreams and visions we want to be a voice at the table helping to shape policy.”

Vokacom CEO Nana Osei Afrifa has refuted allegations his company had copied SnooC-

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ODE. GhanaPostGPS was licenced off his app AsaaseGPS which he said he initially built as a business support solution in 2015 to be used within Vokacom to track rental properties in Ghana for his business.

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ARCHITECT DESIGNS OWN HOUSE WITH WHITE TOWER IN PUGLIA rchitect Lorenzo Grifantini stacked the bedrooms of his own house in Puglia, Italy, inside a 12-metre-high white tower overlooking a large courtyard.

Called La Torre Bianca, or The White Tower, the villa in Gagliano del Capo was designed by Grifantini, a founder of DOS Architects, as a home for his own family away from the “hustle and bustle” of their life in London.

The central courtyard features a swimming pool and large tree.

fully selected vegetation reproduce the presence of natural elements.”

A cluster of high-ceilinged volumes house the living, kitchen, dining and guest bedroom areas, which open directly onto this external space through sliding glass doors.

A canopy made of white-painted iron and bamboo wraps around this courtyard. unifying all of the disparate rooms in a single external space.

“The central courtyard is the real heart of the house,” said Grifantini.

An outdoor seating area is in front of the dining room.

“A place of conviviality and play, where the swimming pool and care-

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At the corner of this courtyard sits the tower, in line with the nearby bell tower of the church of San Rocco.

It’s height gives it views out over the town and out towards the sea.

A small staircase at the rear of the tower connects its three storeys, ending in a small viewing terrace on its roof.

the walls bring light into the bedrooms.

This whole cluster of buildings is wrapped by a low boundary wall, marked with square openings that mirror those in the buildings and tower.

Internally, the cut outs are lined with low planters and seating areas.

These white elevations are intended to emphasise the natural elements throughout the home, as well as creating a play of light and shadow in the courtyard and interiors.

Small square windows set deep into

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Ikea to Open Its First Second-Hand Store Refurbished furniture on the cheap, in the name of sustainability

You know that “As is” section in every Ikea, where they sell damaged or returned furniture pieces for a song? Turns out they’re going to open an outlet where the entire store is basically that, but the broken furniture pieces will have been repaired.

“Ikea will open its first second-hand store selling refurbished furniture in Sweden later this year,” reports Swedish newspaper The second-hand store, which is a test project that will be re-evaluated regularly, will be supplied with furniture and home furnishings from a nearby Ikea store that have been damaged and repaired.

The company has already begun repairing and re-packaging products in every store that have been damaged in transit, as well as allowing customers to return products

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-- including furniture -- for resale or donation to charities.

“If we are going to reach our sustainability goals we need to challenge ourselves and test our ideas in practice,” Ikea Sweden’s sustainability director Jonas Carlehed said in a statement.

This won’t be a standalone Ikea edifice, but will instead be located in Sweden’s ReTuna Återbruksgalleria, which is an entire shopping mall of recycled goods only, located in the town of Eskilstuna.

By Rain Noe - September 23

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Dutch Architect Creates House That Slides Open to the Elements

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rchitecture studio TAA Design has made the green roof of this house in Quang Ngai, Vietnam, from stepped planters finished in red plaster and tiles.

Called The Red Roof, the home has been designed for a couple who have lived in this rapidly-developing area of Vietnam for decades.

A set of steps on this terrace leads onto the stepped roof garden, scaled via a thin staircase on the home’s southern edge.

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Externally, the entire home has been covered with red-pigmented plaster, and the roof covered with large red tiles. The roof planters are for growing vegetables for the local community.

TAA Design saw the project as a chance to create new kind of rural building that creates a closed cycle of growth, harvest and consumption.

With only a small site, the ground floor of the home was required to house a large variety of spaces.

Industrial elements, such as a bicycle repair space, paddy drying yard and outdoor stove surround the living areas.

Rather than create one large yard space, as is typical of houses in the area, the plan has instead been split up to create a series of small internal courtyards.

These courtyards divide internal functions and provide a connection with nature.

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SCHOOL FURNITURE DESIGNED BY CEF WITH MAGNETIC SEAT STORAGE Makes it easy to sweep and mop

North-Carolina-based CEF (Custom Educational Furnishings) designs furniture for schools. Classrooms need to be regularly cleaned, of course, and as with restaurants, once everyone’s gone a staffer must flip chairs and stools upside down and place them on the tables in order to sweep and mop the floors.

off of the floor.

Super simple, and a smart innovation.

Additionally, the tables/stools come in two heights, and up on casters to be easily wheeled out of the way.

But this isn’t needed with CEF’s Ed Tables, which have a far easier way to handle this: Metal stools offered in a variety of colors… …and magnets beneath the worksurface that make quick work of getting the stools

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MAXIMIZING REVENUE, LIQUIDITY & EARNINGS WHILE DAMPING COSTS -PROFILE OF DAVID EKUFFUL

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his week Africa Home Building and Renovation Magazine met with David Ekufful a Veteran Engineer, a Chief in his traditional area of Ewutu with over two decades of experience spanning across petroleum, residential, commercial construction, community and Government projects across the country.

David is an efficient entrepreneur deeply familiar with interpreting blueprints and technical specifications for successful project outcome.. Cultivating Ties With Boards, Customers, Regulators, Employees, & Community.

Who is David Ekufful ?

Strategic Mechanical Engineering leader recognized for sweeping improvements to efficiency, product development operations and marketing.

Trusted Board advisor conceptualizing and creating revenue opportunities. Champion for significant expansion in the supply of fuel and LP Gas dispensers and accessories.

Respected Oil Marketing Industry official skilled in attaining peak deposit levels, stabilizing operations, addressing volatile regulatory requirements and top grading product offering to deliver efficiently.

the American Bible University.

Areas of Expertise Visionary Leadership.

Product Development

Change Management

Strategic Planning.

Regulatory Compliance

Facilities Expansion

Leadership Development.

Marketing Campaigns

Customer Engagement

Market Research.

Risk Management

Global Strategic Alliance

Budget and Sales Forecasting.

Organizational Restructuring.

Currently a Presiding Elder of Perez Chapel International, Bubiashie Assembly, Accra. He also holds a Bachelors Degree in Biblical Studies and currently studying for his Masters degree in Theology with

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DAVID ADJAYE RENOVATES MOLE HOUSE UNDERMINED BY ILLEGAL SECRET TUNNELS

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derelict house in London that had tunnels dug under it by the infamous Mole Man has been restored and adapted by architect David Adjaye for the artist Sue Webster.

Adjaye’s studio Adjaye Associates has transformed the abandoned building, which sits atop a labyrinth of filledin tunnels, into a live-work space for Webster.

The artist, who previously commissioned Adjaye Associates to build her a home called Dirty House, was attracted by the abandoned house’s bizarre past.

For 40 years, Mole House’s previous owner, retired civil engineer William Lyttle, dug a warren of burrows under his 20-room home on Mortimer Road in east London.Lyttle was dubbed

the Mole Man by the press when the secret network of tunnels and caves were discovered. He was later evicted and the tunnels were blocked up with concrete.

In homage to the Mole Man’s legacy, Adjaye Associates has built multiple entrances and exits to Mole House.

The studio also excavated it below street level and gave it a basement extension – with planning permission this time.

The three-storey house sits on a triangular plot, with two doors accessible from the road and driveway leading to the main house or the studio on the lower ground floor.

Steps also lead from the main house to the front garden, providing access to the studio and sunken back garden.

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During the renovation, the architecture studio carefully dug out 2,000 tonnes of the concrete used to fill up holes around the property, revealing years of what the studio called “fossilised domestic history”.

Over 15,000 reclaimed London bricks were used to patch up the damaged facade.

Distressed, patchy render is left in place, further underlining Mole House’s weird history, and a concrete band around the exterior adds to its bunker-style appearance.

Bay windows framed with patinated copper project from the lower levels and a new slate roof sits on top.

Interior walls and floors that were eroded by decay or damaged in a fire were removed, along with the party wall that had previously divided the property into two houses.

Open-plan living spaces are framed

by exposed concrete walls and built-in timber elements such as cupboards and staircases.

Neighbours had been complaining about Lyttle’s burrowing since he moved into the property the 1960s, but he insisted he was only digging a large wine cellar.

In 2006, after a stretch of pavement collapsed due to undermining, the council used an ultrasound scanner to reveal the extent of the Hackney Mole Man’s hobby.

They discovered tunnels that were eight metres deep and 20 metres long, radiating in all directions. A reported 33 tonnes of gravel, earth, and junk including cars and a boat had to be removed by the council.

Lyttle, who passed away in 2010, was relocated to a flat and the house was sold at auction for £1.2 million in 2012.

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Lakeside Estate has been adjudged the CIMG Real Estate Company of the Year 2019 at the 2020 edition of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG) annual National Marketing Performance Awards.

ing practitioners in this country,” he said.

Currently, Lakeside Estate commands a 40 per cent share of the real estate market in the country.

“We wish to bring to the attention of such bodies that with the passage of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana Law, they require the express approval of the CIMG as the sole professional body mandated by law to set standards and regulate marketing practice before conducting such awards,” he said.

This year’s CIMG awards, held in Accra last Saturday on the theme: “Marketing in a Disruptive Era”, is the 31st since its inception.

The event conferred honours on businesses that had adapted their approach and maintained their standards of excellence regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Parts of the citation accompanying Lakeside Estate’s award read: “Your vision was to become one of the best customer focused real estate company in Ghana that will expand through the building of unique variety of quality housing units that are environmentally friendly. By the estimation of our panel of evaluators, you have left no doubts in their minds as you delivered exactly on that promise.

“You are lauded for using in-depth environmental analysis to establish needs of clients and working at them, thus becoming a listening firm.”

The National President of CIMG, Dr Daniel Kasser Tee, expressed concern about the illegitimate award schemes by unauthorised bodies in recognition of marketing practitioners in the country.

Dr Kasser Tee said regulating the standards and practices of Ghanaian marketers was the sole preserve of CIMG.

The awards The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr Akwasi Agyeman, was adjudged the Marketing Man of the Year 2019 for making Ghana the tourism destination of choice in Africa with the successful Year of Return campaign, while the Marketing Woman of the Year award went to Patience Akyianu, Group CEO, Hollard, Ghana.

In all, more than 40 corporate entities and individuals that excelled at their respective businesses and marketing roles in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges were recognised and handed their shields at the CIMG Awards 2019.

The CIMG Awards has been in existence since 1989 and celebrates the captains of industries and experts across various sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

The event honours businesses and institutions whose performances impact positively on society and the world at large.

“The CIMG has noted with great disappointment and concern the manner in which unauthorised bodies have in the past organised their own set of awards to recognise market-

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Adjaye Associates has unveiled its design for a new historical center for African consciousness, the Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg. Named after the previous president of South Africa, the project is an opportunity to realize the dreams of Thabo Mbeki to advance and empower an African renaissance, according to the 2021 RIBA Royal Gold Medal winner Sir David Adjaye.

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Armchair - Ayana | B&B Italia Minimalist and innovative, the Ayana collection becomes a new chapter in the story that connects B&B Italia to Naoto Fukasawa. It sees wood as the protagonist, interpreted in an unusual way, with a pleasant oriental touch.

Armchair - Metropolitan ME84 | B&B Italia Outdoor Chair - Erica | B&B Italia

Seats that flow uninterrupted into the armrests are the hallmark of this small armchair. The small armchair on a revolving aluminum base with four spokes looks inviting and refined from any direction, so it can be placed both at home and in public spots.

Armchair, sofa, and one chair, including a stackable version, have structures made of a technological blend of extruded and die-cast aluminum elements. Their lightness and design make them ideal for both public and residential settings, featuring seat and back cushions for ergonomic comfort together with strength for outdoor use.

The painted frames are available in three finish combinations: White painted aluminum frame with Tortora color polypropylene fiber interlacing Tortora painted aluminum frame with Tortora color polypropylene fiber interlacing Anthracite painted aluminum frame with anthracite color polypropylene fiber interlacing.

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Armchair - Almora | B&B Italia Named after the Indian region that offers a breathtaking view of the Himalayan Mountains and, quoting its designers, it longs to be “a haven from the world, a place for contemplation and reading from where one can admire magnificent snow-capped peaks. As protective as a second skin, enveloping like a soft blanket.� ALMORA belongs with full rights to the type of armchairs that play the protagonists at home, as they offer relaxation and evoke symbolic meanings associated with warmth, the nest, the womb, and hospitality.

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Outdoor Chair - Papilio | B&B Italia Announcing the introduction of the Papilio family by Naoto Fukasawa to the outdoor collection. The piece retains the plasticity of the indoor version but with a lighter look thanks to the new materials.

Grande Papilio, Piccola Papilio, and Mini Papilio, all three sizes are back with that unique single material personality and a weave of anthracite-colored polyethylene that is perfectly suited for its characteristic shape. The ottoman naturally follows Grande Papilio’s polyethylene weave.

Armchair - Tulip-Sixtysix | B&B Italia Armchair - Mart MPG | B&B Italia

Two new small armchairs have become part of the new collection destined for the contract market. They are a reassessment of the célèbre Tulip, on a dimensional level.

Mart MPG revolving small armchair in thick leather or fabric, with a new swivel base with four spokes in smoked stained oak.

Experimentation and research have led to the Mart seating project, which results from a new production technology for thermoformed leather. Two types of seats are available: a smaller and a larger version. Both are available with a revolving disk-shaped aluminum base available in black for fabric versions, or varnished to match the seat for leather versions. A second base version is a cross-shaped base.

The restful seat envisages a third type of bright chromed or black varnished steel base. A smaller seat upholstered in thermo-formed leather or fabric is available on a version equipped with wheels.

Outdoor Armchair - Ray Natural | B&B Italia Ray Outdoor Natural features a light extruded aluminum frame and a “rope” interlacing inspired by natural abaca and designed to perfectly merge with nature. It uses a Textilene fiber designed for outdoor use. The range includes sofas available in two depths as well as modular elements such as terminal elements or chaise longues and armchairs.

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Mayfair Court Agringanoh John Watson’s perspective of the effects of COVID-19 on Real Estate and the Construction Market in Ghana In January 2020, there was an outbreak also lost income and had to lay off their of coronavirus pandemic that took the staff because the industry was shut down whole world by surprise. Initially starting due to the pandemic in China and spreading to every part of The reaction with the ex-patriates before the world. To contain the spread of the the lockdown was to leave the country virus, countries implemented various before any lockdown came into effect. measures such as lockdowns, restrictions This brought the rental market also to a on movement, border closures, mandatory standstill leading to job losses. quarantines and vigorous testing. These LOSS OF SALES measures have had various impact on our The Year of return in December of 2019 everyday life globally. brought a lot of awareness and a huge inGhana’s initial response to the outbreak terest in the Real Estate Industry for both was a total lockdown in March for Three Residential and Commercial properties. months crippling every industry with the The Real Estate Market was to experience Real Estates Industry not being spared. a huge property boom. However, the The Real Estates Industry comprising of Pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty and many sectors such as sales and letting of wiped out any hope of any boom in sales. both residential and commercial propDue to the Lockdown, prospective clients erties, Retail sector of building materials were unable to view properties and hence were all impacted. Some of the negative any new purchases were either low or impact of the Pandemic (Covid-19) is as non-existent. follows: With Government directive for businesses JOB LOSSES to work from home, the demand for office

space has falling drastically and may never The Building industry employs many return to its previous peak. casual workers who are paid by the day The lifting of the total Lockdown to a parand their pay depend solely on them work- tial Lockdown relieved some of the diffiing. With the lockdown in place, their daily culties being experience in the Real Estate income was completely wiped out and Property Market returning to a gradual hence were at the mercy of handout. normalisation of the Market. The Akufo Suppliers of Materials used by the industry Addo Lead government has help reduce The African Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine

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the effect of Covid-19 on the whole economy by various intervention in all sectors of the economy. The Real Estate Industry saw the introduction of a low cost mortgage scheme offered by some banks in collaboration with the government offering low interest rates of 10% per annum on cedi mortgages compared to the 20%+ mortgages offered previously. This has help increase demand especially in the affordable housing income bracket.

The Industry has also benefited from the effect of an election year. The government in this year of election has released a lot of money into various sectors of the economy trickling down to the Real Estate Industry.

Even though Covid-19 has had a devastation effect on almost all industries around the world and has pushed some countries into recession, Ghana has seen a lesser impact of this dreadful pandemic on its economy

By John Watson – CEO, Mayfair Estates (www.mayfairestatesltd.co.uk)

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Kitchen design for fixed surfaces and furniture made out of wood fiber panels.

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Lamp - Patera | Louis Poulsen Louis Poulsen’s Patera Lamp designed by Ă˜ivind Slaatto was inspired by the Fibonacci sequence, with the ultimate goal of constructing a modern crystal chandelier.

The pendant is a glowing sphere built up of small diamond-shaped cells. Each cell is carefully designed to capture light and to shield the light source from the viewing angles above 45 degrees. Each cell glows. Below 45 degrees, the fields are open to direct light downwards. A small amount of light is also sent upwards to illuminate the ceiling.

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Hanging Lights - Halo | Vibia The Halo lamps are a MartĂ­n AzĂşa design for Vibia, they are available in either circular or linear compositions. This collection personifies the fusion of light and matter through the ingenious and invisible use of LED technology, which lends the collection an ethereal and visually restrained quality.

Ceiling Light - Duo | Vibia Duo ceiling lamp was designed by Ramos & Bassols for Vibia. The lamp combines the natural, warm appearance of Oakwood with the technical refinement of an aluminum metal wrap on the outside. The ceiling light is surface installed and provides all-around illumination. Vibia offers Duo in a collection of inverted-bowl silhouettes with both straight and angled options.

Pendant Light - BCAA Collection | Christopher Boots A brave new world of forms inspired by Branch Chain Amino Acids, the primordial building blocks of life. From these base compounds, anything is possible.

BCAA pendant lights collection combines a modular brass framework and sandblasted borosilicate glass in either tubular or globular form.

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BUYING A PROPERTY IN GHANA. CONVEYANCING, HOW DOES IT WORK? While many now look to online real estate marketplaces like meQasa.com to find a house to buy or a house to rent, buying land in Ghana is still something many aspire to. The land is a highly coveted property in Ghana with several people seeking to purchase a parcel, be it to develop residential or commercial buildings.

This high demand for land is not just from locals, even some expatriates seek to be landowners in Ghana and to own one of the only assets that appreciate with time.

In Ghana, lands are attained as leasehold property, meaning ownership is for a limited time frame (50 years for expatriates and 99 years for citizens).

Woes of a landowner having sold the same area of land to multiple people is one that is heard far too often.

In Ghana, lands are attained as leasehold property, meaning ownership is for a limited time frame (50 years for expatriates and 99 years for citizens). The process of trying to acquire private land from an individual is a rather tricky one, seeing as there is no set standard admitted by the Ghana Lands Commission. People must take precautions to implement their own checks and balances to make sure a seller indeed owns the land, in order to avoid future land dispute ordeals. Woes of a landowner having sold the same area of land to multiple people is one that is heard far too often.

The process of trying to acquire private land from an individual is a rather tricky There are four types of land in Ghana: one, seeing as there is no set standard ad- Government land mitted by the Ghana Lands Commission.

- Vested land People must take precautions to imple- Customary/stool land ment their own checks and balances to make sure a seller indeed owns the land, in - Family/private land order to avoid future land dispute ordeals.

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If you approach a private land seller who is interested in selling off his/her land to you, find out all you can about this seller and his business. Be sure to check with the Lands Commission to validate from their records if this person truly owns the piece of land you are interested in buying. It’s also advisable to check with government land overseers to ensure the land has not been taped for future national development projects. It is not unheard of for people to post a notice of inquiry in the newspapers to ask if there is anyone who has that particular land piece registered to their name. At the same time, request that the seller provides At the same time, request that the seller provides you with a certified site plan demarcating the precise location of the land including its coordinates. He/She should have had a professional surveyor to do this and you are advised to also work with one to double-check everything. No money should have exchanged hands yet for the purchase of the land up to this juncture.

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If you feel quite assured at this point, then you can negotiate on sales terms with the seller and when you comfortably reach an agreement on buying land, then work with your lawyer to draft a purchase and ownership transfer contract/Deed of Conveyance which both you and the seller will sign. Once that is done and you make payment, you are now the legal owner of the land. You need to make multiple copies of the indenture (your ownership agreements, lease details detailing parties to the transaction, witnesses, price paid and ground rent) and have them endorsed by a land lawyer who also professionally stamps them. Each copy should have a land surveyor certified site plan attached.

To complete the process, after buying land, you need to register the land and deed with the Lands Commission and attain the title certificate to prove ownership. Land registration is the recording of rights and interest in land as evidenced by documentation so that your right to ownership is established and protected. Registering your land reduces litigation issues and renders your documents admissible in court. You should also obtain a tax clearance certificate at Internal Revenue Service. Whatever you do, you have to heed these tips to conduct a safe and smart online property search.

You may contact the Ghana Lands Commission: Address: Second Circular Rd, Cantonments Accra (adjacent Cantonments Post Office) Tel.: 024 032 0119 / 020 876 0311.

There are no restrictions on foreigners buying property in Ghana. However, different kinds of land, some of which cannot be privately owned. There are four types of land in Ghana: Government Land, Vested Land, Customary/Stool Land, and Family/Private Land.

To acquire Government Land or Vested Land, an application must be filed with the Executive Secretary of Lands Commission or the Regional Lands Officer, depending on the location of the land.

Customary Land belongs to different Stools in Ghana, who have the authority to grant the particular customary land for which they are responsible. The 1992 Constitution states that there must be no free hold interest granted in land.

Customary Land granted to private individuals or families before the 1992 Constitution is now considered private land.

In this case, the buyer has to go directly to the owner of the land.

The services of a real estate agent and a lawyer are needed in acquiring property.

A title search is very important to determine the ownership and kind of land the buyer is interested in. Once all agreements have been settled, a Deed of Conveyance, or an appropriate instrument of transfer (indenture), is prepared by the lawyer.

Upon signing, the title is transferred to the buyer, who, at the same time, pays for the property.

The title is registered at the Lands Commission Secretariat. Property registration takes around 48 days to accomplish, with around five procedures. Legal fees are regulated by the Ghana Bar Association. The following amounts are prescribed legal fees for conveyance: The round trip transaction costs include all costs of buying and then re-selling a property - lawyers´ fees, notaries´ fees, registration fees, taxes, agents´ fees, etc.

Stamp Duty Stamp duty is levied on the value of the property at progressive rates, from 0.25% to 1%.

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STAMP DUTY PROPERTY VALUE,GHS (US$) RATE Up to 10,000 (US$2,928) 0.25% 10,000 - 50,000 (US$14,641) 0.50% Over 50,000 (US$14,641) 1% Conveyancing Decree, 1973 (N.R.C.D. 175) This Decree makes provision with respect to the transfer of interests in land. It provides rules relative form and procedure of such transfer and defines the effects of conveyance. The Decree concerns also the recording of oral grant of interest in land under customary law and sets out the content of implied covenants for the transfer of various interests in land, including leasehold.

Acquiring land in Ghana for real estate has proven to be as difficult as circumventing the ominous Bermuda Triangle. The difficulties in acquiring lands in Ghana range from land litigations, difficulties in the acquisition of land title certificates in areas where it is applicable, acquisition of building and demolition permits, endless demands from violent hooligans christened as “land guards” especially in Accra and some part of the Central Region.

Previously, investors have solely relied on solicitors in most land transactions and solicitors were deemed as demigods in matters of land transactions. This aged assertion has proven to be infantile because the task of conducting due diligence in land transactions in Ghana goes beyond the realm of mere legalities.

For instance, most solicitors with no knowledge in property valuation cannot be in a position to enlighten their clients on the precise open market value or the forced sale value (which is normally 70% of the open market value in Ghana) of a

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property to properly advise their client as to the appropriate price for which a property should be purchased for.

Also, most solicitors cannot easily determine whether a land intended for real estate development is flood-prone especially if the said land is inspected during the dry season. It is based on these few postulations that convinces the writer that the 21st-century real estate market goes beyond mere wigs and gowns.

Despite the legal background of the writer, he has embarked on an elementary path to demystify the processes of conducting due diligence in real estate transactions in Ghana devoid of technicalities. It is essential to re-echo that this intellectual piece only deals with due diligence with regards to lands for only real estate and does not pay any attention whatsoever to the acquisition of lands for other purposes.

The writer will firstly examine the natural impediments that have to be considered in purchasing land for real estate.

1. The first step a realtor must consider is whether the land to be purchased in Ghana falls within the major earthquake zones in Ghana namely; Akwapim, Adenta, Weija, Elmina, Kasoa, Gbawe, and McCarthy Hills. The lands in these areas are prone to earthquakes due to the fault from the Akwapim range extending to these areas. Though lands in the abovenamed areas may be relatively cheaper, purchasers of land in these areas must know they come at cost should there be an earthquake in Ghana.

Interestingly, Ghana has records of damaging earthquakes dating as far back as 1636, 1862, 1906 and 1939 as per reports from the Ghana Geological Survey Authority.

2. Owing to the rapid urbanization accompanied by improper planning and poor waste management by the city councils; flooding has become a major issue in Ghana. Notable areas where purchasers of land must exercise caution when purchasing lands due to the impact of flooding are: around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Adabraka, Kanashie, Avenor, Odaw ,Santa Maria and other areas where there are major drains or river flows. Through diligent investigations from residence, the purchaser will get to know if the land to be purchased is prone to flood or not. In an attempt to avoid flooding issues, most modern realtors have chosen to invest in previous colonial settlements such as Labone, Cantonments, Ridge and Airport residential area. These areas are very expensive and they are considered to be on high grounds. Also, the lands in these areas are properly laid out and totally devoid of flooding.

3. The third step the purchaser must take into account is to visit the land to be purchased to acquaint himself with the land. The purchaser must pay particular attention to the following: Whether the land is too close to a water body that can cause flooding during the rainy season. Access to the motorable road network, access to water and electricity, access to the police station or other security installation.

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4. The purchaser must proceed to hire the services of a licensed surveyor to visit the land and subsequently pick the coordinate of the property which is the subject matter of the transaction. Under no circumstance must a buyer rely on the site plan given to him by the seller. This practise is very suicidal and has led to a lot of fraudulent land transactions.

There are several instances where sellers give purchasers different site plans that do not reflect the actual land on the ground.

Also, the purchaser must always insist on a barcoded site plan from his surveyor. This simply means that the site plan should have a barcode at the back of it. Due to the high rate of fraudulent land transactions in Ghana, a purchaser must never ever rely on the seller’s site plan to conduct due diligence!

5. After the purchaser’s surveyor is done with the barcoded site plan, the purchaser should present the barcoded site plan to all the three divisions (Survey and Mapping Division, Land Title Division and Public and Vested Lands Management Division) of the Lands Commission to conduct an official search.

6. To attain maximum due diligence and avoid unnecessary litigation, it is proper for the purchaser to write officially to the registry of the Courts in which the property is situate to conduct searches at the courts to know if the land is a subject matter of litigation pending at the Courts of the first instance or a litigation is pending before any Appellate Court. All the records of the outcome of this searches

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that are conducted must be kept safely.

This search results will put a land purchaser in a better position in pleading “a bona fide purchaser for value without any adverse notice� should there be a litigation in future.

7. The next step a buyer of land must consider is to demand for a certified photocopy of a land title certificate from his grantor and compare it to the recitals and any other information as stated in the deed of conveyance given to the buyer by the grantor.

Very often, sellers of land inadvertently misspell land title certificate numbers, folio numbers and misspell names of their grantors in the recitals of the deed of conveyance given to the buyer. These issues mostly arise when lands are purchased from real estate companies who recklessly rely on boilerplates.

8. In purchasing a landed property from a married person; the seller must always insist that the spouse to the seller serves as a witness to the conveyance or any deed that is executed between the buyer and the seller! There have been several instances where spouses sell spousal properties without recourse to their spouse only for their spouses to end up suing the innocent purchaser.

This quagmire can easily be avoided if a spouse to the seller is simply made to sign as witness to a conveyance or a contract of sale. This will estopped any spouse from later pleading ignorance to any transaction relative to any spousal property.

9. Also, the practice where buyers of real estate insist on making payment by way of cheques or bank transfers is one of the safest means by which all purchasers of land must adopt in handling all their property transactions. This method of payment easily serves as evidence of payment and it avoids the risk of buyers and investors from carrying large amount of cash on them considering the pitiable security arrangement in Ghana.

10. In Ghana, before a developer can erect any structure on his land such as a wall or a building; the developer must first and foremost secure a building permit from the Metropolitan, Municipal, or District Assembly for a building permit.

There are several instances where most land owners erect walls to secure their properties without seeking prior approval from the authorities. These structures are considered unlawful structures and they are always amenable to demolition. In such situation where a structure such as a wall or a security post is erected on a land; the

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buyer must inspect the building permit of the seller to avoid any demolition of the structure by the Local Assembly in future.

11. Lastly, the registration of every conveyance is very key to avoiding any unnecessary litigation. Equitable remedies will always favour the first in time and not the indolent. Hence, purchasers of land in Ghana must take steps to immediately register their conveyance where practicable in order to avoid any unnecessary litigation relative to their real estate.

In conclusion, the list for conducting due diligence in real estate matters in Ghana is not exhaustive. Conducting due diligence in relation to real estate matters in Ghana is a very complex business transaction which can be described as a cocktail of complex legalities, armed land militia, bribery, poor record keeping and undischarged mortgage issues. Purchasers of real estates and investors are to exhibit utmost precautionary measures even when they are guarded by legal gurus so as not to fall victim to fraudulent transactions.

This Article is produced by PE Magazine and written by Mr. Henry Ameyaw, PHD. Correspondent for Business and Commerce for PE Magazine

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Loft Chartier / Studiocolnaghi Loft Chartier is a small well-located apartment. It is designed to host a young couple during weekends, so its main purporse is to be as practical as beautiful. The apartment itself has some qualities, like a corner window and a concrete slab. So, those were importante tools to compose the interior design. In order to contrast to the brutalist aspect of the apartament, we design a wood ceilling in the main entrance. So, this element also appear as a wall pannel which hides a door.

The wood floor is a tool to create the impression of a bigger space, as we have the same material on the wall and parto of the ceilling.

At the entrance, there is na art piece. It is place on a blue wall to contrast to the Flavio Scholles’ yellow painting. In front of this art piece, there is a mirror and a marble pannel, which follows the hangers materiality. The furniture plays na important role in this project. Among the choices, there is a Saccaro armchair, Bubble, in a green fabric. The centre table composition there are a studiocolnaghi designed marble table, a Gustavo Bittencourt seat, Banco Iaiå (this designer is also responsible for the side wood chair), and a Saccaro Bubble leather puff.

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GP House / Plataforma de Arquitectura

The enjoyment of the interior spaces of this house was the central motive around which the project revolves, based on this idea proposed to the owners, the house was designed in such a way that the exterior gesture was powerful and that the subtlety of the environments interiors will help to have particular experiences for each space of use. The project was designed to meet the space and growth needs of a family of 5 people, where the future requirements for the children in the following years would have to be considered.

Through a composition of very forceful elements that dialogue with each other with their respective materials, the house develops on two levels, the lower level being partially closed in front of the lot and translucent to the rear garden; while the upper floor has some inconspicuous visual escapes, for the most part they enjoy the interior.

On the upper floor, life is completely private, with 4 rooms with different visual intentions but with the same spatial and material concept. One room has access to a terrace, another to a garden, etc. Materiality plays a very important role in giving hierarchy and character to each formal element that makes up the house. A specific case is the study and services block of one of the rooms, the rest of the volume of the house being revealed as a monolith with its own gesture.

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Klio feels contemporary and archetypical at the same time. Fusing traditional craftsmanship and stateof-the-art manufacturing technology creates the sophisticated geometry of the heavy wooden chair. The back, which flows into the armrests, is bent from a 13.8kg piece of steamed wood—optionally beech or oak—on a 100+-year-old machine. After three weeks in the dry kiln the backrest is milled into shape using state-of-theart CNC technology and carefully polished by hand. The cleverly curved backrest contrasts with the body and its precise edges. Horgenglarus’ bespoke solid construction and the ergonomically shaped seat creates a Stapel, a 1949 horgenglarus in-house construction, anticipated the 1950s’ use of shape with its new free lifestyle. Its characteristic kidney shape contrasts stapel to the then-popular Carpenter style in Switzerland. The robust chair’s name says it all—this solid wooden chair is perfectly easy to stack. Its manufacturing process is particularly complex because its rear legs are turned in different diameters prior to bending.

Front, as well as rear legs, are also used

Klio is full of character and brings a poetic element into Horgenglarus’ clear-cut collection, linking two types of shapes; aside from round organic shapes, there are angular straight designs. Klio merges both worlds and is available as a chair with short armrests and as an armchair with long armrests.

Klio was first showcased on the Swiss Designers’ Saturday in November 2014. The poetic-mystic installation at Studio Hannes Wettstein received the “Designers’ Saturday Silver Award 2014.”

in Max Bill’s kreuzzargenstuhl launched two years later. This chair has recently been re-interpreted with a larger seat frame and a more pronounced curved shape.

The matura solid wooden armchair with its warm minimalism continues the factual language of the horgenglarus collection into the 21st century.

It is the comfortable evolution of the compact, straight miro chair. The bold sweeps of the backrest and rear legs give distinction to its geometry.

Thanks to a variety of seat widths, depths, and heights as well as materials, the matura is suited for a wide range of purposes and architectural styles. A staff canteen needs a different type of The moser chair can be used in a multitude of environments and is very comfortable to sit also for extended periods. Werner Max Moser, a student of Frank Lloyd Wrights, limited his first furniture design to absolute essentials— yet the moser chair with its round legs and their slight sways creates an air of familiarity. It is reminiscent of the era’s bentwood chairs and of the classic horgenglarus chair.

very comfortable armchair.

chair than a café, bistro, or fine-dining restaurant. A council chamber or boardroom makes other demands than a hotel room or a private dining room.

Larger hotels, restaurants, or administrative offices often combine more than usage type in one building. matura’s end-to-end design line offers a large variety of functions. The seat’s comfort level varies from wooden seat or cushion to very comfortable belt upholstery.

comfort, but it’s the combination that makes the moser unique thanks to its stable seat frame. The robust cane wickerwork is hand-woven into the chair frame and knotted there to give it distinctively more hold than machine wickerwork pressed into a groove. A continuity of proven elements and they are as modern today as they were then.

There are chairs with similar purism, a comparable level of stability and The African Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine

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LOUNGER - B&B ATOLL Named after the coral formation B&B Atoll, the new modular seating system by Antonio Citterio is a refined expression of a balanced aesthetic form and a decisive contemporary style that is also extremely elegant. The system is built on three basic platforms - 190 cm and 240 cm, both with 90 cm depth, and 130 cm with 140 cm deep - that are complemented by armrest and backrest elements to form various types of seats: sofas, dormeuses, corner-end modules, single or modular elements with chaise longue and pouf.

The frames have light, slender lines and are applied on high die-cast supports with metal pro le emphasising the line between the structure and upholstery. Two nishes are available, pewter and black chrome. The pieces are given even more character by a supporting element to be placed wherever desired, a bolster in two sizes - 65 and 90 cm - attached by leather straps to a die-cast structure. This accessory can be inserted between the seat cushion and the base structure to provide an additional support or become an armrest or backrest at will. B&B Atoll is a dynamic project with a constantly fresh ability to adapt to different compositions and create different seating types, from informal relax versions to most formal, also made possible by the use of complementary back cushions.

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Ghana’s ECG, POBAD partner to install electric vehicle charging systems across the country

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has partnered an indigenous Ghanaian firm POBAD International to install electric vehicle (EV) charging systems across Ghana.

According to statement issued by the power distribution company, the move is intended to shed light on the introduction and usage of electric vehicle modules to Ghanaian consumers.

Managing Director of ECG, Kwame Agyeman-Budu said his outfit has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with POBAD International Limited to pilot the operations of the EV charging system over the next three months in strategic locations of Accra.

“The pilot phase would afford ECG the opportunity to carry out a thorough engineering and commercial studies into the effects of the EV charging system on EC’s electricity distribution networks and the energy consumption rate of the different charging systems,” Agyeman Budu said.

Authority, the Energy Commission, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) and other relevant bodies and institutions to work together with ECG to develop standards and regulations to guide and govern the growing EV sector in Ghana,” he said.

He added results from the pilot phase would guide all interested persons in the automobile industry to contribute significantly to the development of the EV subsector in Ghana.

Managing Director of POBAD International Limited, Paul Baidoo on his part said his outfit seeks to partner with the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) to replicate the initiative in the Northern sector of the country.

Agyeman-Budu further called on all relevant stakeholders and institutions to collaborate towards developing standards to grow the EV sector.

“We wish to call on the Ghana Standards

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Baidoo noted the company has so far installed two EV charging sites at the A&C Mall in East Legon and Stanbic Heights all in Accra.

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“More of these sites will be completed in 2021 and we plan to install ultra-fast EV charging hardware which would charge electric vehicles between 15 and 30 minutes at their partner filling stations along the major highways to offer support to EV drivers when they travel between towns and other regions in Ghana,” he disclosed.

On the payment options for the EV charging systems, Baidoo explained, “Payment for the use of EV charge-up hardware will be strictly cashless using a bank credit and debit card. An authorised mobile pay Apps will be made possible when our integration with some financial service partners is completed in the near future.”

Chief Director of the Ministry of Energy, Lawrence Apaase, who represented the sector Minister, noted that the advent of EVs in the country would help to make

good the utilisation of the excess energy the country has been paying for.

He allayed the fears of those who think that the electricity consumption by EVs could limit electricity supply to domestic consumption.

“Already, we have more than we need for our daily use and so filling in more demand would rather help us consume the excess we are paying for without utilising it,” he explained.

Source: Ghanaweb

Apaase commended ECG for the initiative, saying it would not only benefit individuals but also help Ghana by helping the country stay compliant with United Nations Development Goals (G7), which is about clean energy.

Meanwhile, in 2019, Ghana’s electricity

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regulator, Energy Commission, outdoored the “Drive Electric Initiative” as part of effort geared towards promoting the use of electric powered vehicles for the transportation needs of Ghanaians.

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SOFA - EDA-MAME Shaped by an organic development inspired by the form of a soybean, the typical ingredient in Oriental cuisine, Eda-Mame is a furnishing element with a strong impact created by a sculptural design that can give great incisiveness to a space. A single object that is a fusion of three types of seating - high-back chair, easy chair, and pouf.

Its threefold nature lends Eda-Mame extreme versatility in both residential and public settings, and can also highlight areas for co-working, passage, and short stays, like hotel lobbies. Made of molded foam, Eda-Mame is upholstered in a stretch fabric with light stitching. The support base is made of crosspieces with rounded steel feet connected to each other by a bar, all in a pewter painted finish.

SOFA - HARBOR Naoto Fukasawa continues his research on upside-down truncated cone shaped seats, and, for this project addresses B&B Italia’s need to explore the seating with arms. Two forms are ergonomically designed and developed to obtain a relaxing easy chair with a high back and headrest and a conversation armchair with a low back.

Both armchairs have a rotating base and visible metal zipper in the back that, as with the iconic Papilio series, allow to remove the covering, available in fabric or leather. To these seats are added a third form, a pouf on top of which a tray element can be supported, allowing complementary use as a table.

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SOFA - MOON SYSTEM A continuous shape, a blend of aesthetics and ergonomics: Moon System expresses the perfect combination of B&B Italia’s tendency towards experimentation and the ongoing research into the complexity of curved geometry of world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The traditional idea of seating is radically re-examined to create a new, strongly dynamic angular shape: a “single-block” sofa that looks like the back, seat, and armrests were “carved” out of a single material. With a metallic sheen like an object from outer space, Moon System is at its theatrical best when positioned in the middle of a room. Its flowing curves appear to change from different points of observation. A matching pouf, the shape of the indentation on the front of the sofa completes the scene, following and filling in the general design of the piece.

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Atlanta Storage AD00

Atlanta is your flexible and individual storage system. Mix and match different units, sizes and colours to create the perfect solution for your space. Atlanta is here to enhance the look and functionality of all rooms.

Atlanta Storage AD00

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Bed - Husk HUSK, a great family born of different armchair versions, stepped into the bedroom with the bed presented last year. Now it reaches an important landmark with the sofa. Actually, its design, on paper, was born before the others but, as often occurs in the case of powerful innovation, it was necessary to perfect the technology that would make its implementation possible.

A molded plastic shell and a series of soft cushions: these are the basic elements of the Husk armchair. A celebration of softness, Husk is the result of a long development process to create a versatile armchair that is both unique in its own right and able to complement even the most classic sofas. Three types of cushions are available: standard, large, and very large or with a headrest, while the body support can be either fixed or rotating. An ottoman footrest is also available.

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Qatar Airways-Focus on Africa In Africa, Qatar Airways is to resume services to Entebbe, Seychelles and Windhoek as well as many more global destinations. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are proud to be the leading global airline connecting passengers with the world, helping take people safely and sustainably to where they need to be. Having one of the youngest, most fuel-efficient fleets enables us to be agile and respond quickly to passenger demand.

Our focus throughout the rebuild of our network is not only on restarting destinations but also operating as many frequencies as possible to provide our passengers the flexibility to travel when they want,” he said.

The 124 destinations to be served by year-end comprise 21 in Africa, 10 in the Americas, 42 in Asia-Pacific, 38 in Europe and 13 in the Middle East. Qatar Airways says it currently serves more than 90 destinations, and that the figure has not dropped below 30 in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Launch of Accra flights will increase Qatar

Airways’ network in Africa to 46 weekly flights across 14 destinations including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Seychelles, Tunis, Windhoek and Zanzibar Passengers from Accra can enjoy more flexible travel options via the most connected and Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport with the airline serving 28 destinations in Asia-Pacific, 31 in Europe, 12 in the Middle East and nine in North America Qatar Airways was pleased to announce it would operate four weekly flights to Accra, Ghana via Lagos from 29 September 2020 becoming the fourth new destination launched by the national carrier of the State of Qatar since the start of the pandemic.

The Accra service will be operated by the airline’s state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to be launching flights

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to the capital of Ghana, one of the fastest growing economies in the region famed for its local hospitality and highly sought after agricultural exports. We first announced our intention to launch flights to Accra in January 2020 and while the pandemic has slightly delayed these plans, it has not stopped us from fulfilling our commitment to passengers in Ghana and around the world.

With the strong Ghanaian diaspora especially in Europe, the UK and U.S. we are thankful to the Ghanaian Government for their support in helping us to launch these flights providing an opportunity to reunite family and friends with their loved ones.

We look forward to working closely with our partners in Ghana to steadily grow this route and support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”

With flights to more than 28 destinations in Asia-Pacific, 31 in Europe, 12 in the Middle East and nine in North America, passengers wanting to travel to or from Ghana can now enjoy seamless connectivity via the Best Airport in the Middle East, Hamad International Airport. By mid-October, Qatar Airways will operate 50

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46 weekly flights to 14 destinations in Africa, including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Entebbe, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Lagos, Mogadishu, Nairobi, Seychelles, Tunis, Windhoek and Zanzibar.

In line with the airline’s expanding operations across Africa, passengers can look forward to a touch of African hospitality onboard with the carrier’s multicultural cabin crew including more than 30 African nationalities. Additionally, passengers across our network can also enjoy a variety of African movies, TV shows and music on Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system.

To ensure travelers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before 31 December 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to 31 December 2020 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance.

According to the latest IATA data, Qatar Airways has become the largest international carrier between April to July by fulfilling its mission of taking people home. This enabled the airline to accu-

mulate unmatched experience in carrying passengers safely and reliably and uniquely positioned the airline to effectively rebuild its network. The carrier has stringently implemented the most advanced safety and hygiene measures on board its aircraft and in Hamad International Airport.

Qatar Airways’ onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew include the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew and a complimentary protective kit and disposable face shields for passengers. Business Class passengers on aircraft equipped with Qsuite can enjoy the enhanced privacy this award-winning business seat provides, including sliding privacy partitions and the option to use a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 30 destinations including Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur, London and New York.

Qatar Airways operations are not dependent on any specific aircraft type. The airline’s variety of modern fuel-efficient aircraft has meant it can continue flying by offering the right capacity in each market.

Due to COVID-19’s impact on travel demand, the airline has taken the decision to ground its fleet of Airbus A380s as it is not commercially or environmentally justifiable to operate such a large aircraft in the current market. The airline’s fleet of 49 Airbus A350 and 30 Boeing 787 are the ideal choice for the most strategically

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important long-haul routes to Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions.

Qatar Airways’ home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), has implemented stringent cleaning procedures and applied social distancing measures throughout its terminals. Passenger touchpoints are sanitized every 10-15 minutes and boarding gates and bus gate counters are cleaned after each flight. In addition, hand sanitizers are provided at immigration and security screening points. HIA was recently ranked “Third Best Airport in the World”, among 550 airports worldwide, by the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2020. HIA was also voted the ‘Best Airport in the Middle East’ for the sixth year in a row and ‘Best Staff Service in the Middle East’ for the fifth year in a row.

This Article is presented by PE Magazine and written by Henry Ameyaw, PHD, Correspondent for PE Magazine , Business & Commerce.

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HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE TABLE - ESS.TEE.TISCH T-6500 | HORGENGLARUS

J

ürg Bally’s ess.tee.tisch is one of only a few Swiss table icons.

Its architect designed this height-adjustable table in 1950 for horgenglarus, shortly before he started working for Knoll International in New York. The table is a birthday present for his future wife Ica who didn’t have a table in her furnished room. The table, called S.T. then, has had a place in her home up to this day.

The name gives us a glimpse at Bally’s linguistic wit because the height adjustment turns it from a dining table (“Ess-Tisch”) to a coffee table (“Tee-Tisch”), which decidedly sounds like “Ess-TeeTisch” (“aesthetic”) German. It was inspired by Hans Bellmann’s three-legged 1944 “colonial table.” With his “lift table” (its popular name), Jürg Bally created an answer to the changed living conditions and increasing mobility, which is a topical issue to this day.

lifting mechanism was perfected in 400 collaborative working hours with design engineer Daniel Hunziker. Using a lever under the tabletop, spring force is used to roll up or unroll a steel strap inside a drum. While the legs meet or part in the rails under the tabletop, it is raised or lowered from dining to coffee table in ten steps from 72 to 40 centimeters. Thanks to its precise details and careful fitting, this adjustment works smoothly without having to clear the tabletop.

The re-edition was presented in the “horgenglarus: ess.tee.tisch von jürg bally” exhibition in the gallery of the German association of workmen in Berlin in May 2014.

The “lift table,” as it was also called, went into series production at “Werkgenossenschaft Wohnhilfe” in 1951/54*. After 1968, Bally himself took charge of production and distribution, such as in his Zurich furniture shop at Neumarkt 11. The ess.tee.tisch became Jürg Bally’s most prominent design. Today, the official 1950 prototype is exhibited in the collection of the Zurich design museum. In 1955, he was awarded the “Die gute Form” prize by the Swiss association of workmen.

The construction of this design classic is as simple as it is ingenious: The tabletop rests on three crossed-over legs linked by a moveable pin hinge. For the 2014 re-edition, the self-locking The African Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine

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Solid Wood Table - prova t-4202 The expressive prova table from horgenglarus is made from solid high-grade wood. A resilient wooden table with an air of lightness, elegance, and unobtrusiveness. The 40mm tabletop feels delicate because it is tapered to 15mm. Just like Max Bill’s crossframe chair, the prova draws its stability from a crossed-over substructure, directly linking it to the legs. Thanks to its V-shaped screw connection, the solid tabletop can expand and shrink with the seasons without losing shape. A simple, easy-to-disassemble construction, the result of many years of research by Heinz Baumann. The flared legs add to its stability—red wine will stay in its glass.

Bornholm Lounge Table 1620

Scandinavia, here we come! With a casual chicness, the Bornholm coffee table is bringing the North to you. Designed with a slim, round tabletop and three slender legs this coffee table will fit into almost any living room and bring a light, laid-back atmosphere with it.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT Diameter: 90 cm Height: 48 cm Tabletop thickness: 2 cm Height to tabletop: 46½ cm Maximum weight load: 20 kg MATERIALS Tabletop: solid oak lacquered Leg: solid oak lacquered/medium density fibreboard COLOURS Tabletop/leg: Oak veneer/Oak, Walnut veneer/Espresso oak, Matt white lacquered/Matt white lacquered

Madrid Coffee Table AD24 Clean lines and organic shapes come together in a floating design to make the Madrid table a sensory, vibrant piece for your interior. The exquisite pipe base with integrated storage highlight the elegancy of the design for a contemporary expression.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT Diameter: 99 cm Height: 40 cm Tabletop thickness: 1 cm Height to table top: 39 cm Maximum weight load: 20 kg MATERIALS Tabletop: glass/stainless steel Leg: steel/concrete FINISH Leg: powder coated/concrete The African Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine

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New Infrastructure Ideas Around the World - The Architect Our ancient relatives, Homo heidelbergensis, were constructing shelters at least 400,000 years ago, and architectural innovation has been a defining feature of societies since then, changing to suit the needs and desires of the builders and occupants as they evolved. From energy-efficient designs to community-based spaces, these designs could help shape the future.

Silver Architecture: As the population ages, society is faced with a challenge: How to help people who require special care. The current way that many buildings are designed—and even the way hospitals are set up—makes it difficult for older people to get around and be independent. This is a big problem, because older people are a huge part of the population.

As of 2015, there were nearly 50 million people in the United States over the age of 65. By 2030, the Census projects that 20 percent of Americans will be older than 65. “By 2035, there will be 78.0 million people 65 years and older compared to 76.7 million ... under the age of 18,” Jonathan Vespa, a demographer with the U.S. Census Bureau, stated in a 2018 press release.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over a quarter of people aged 65 or older fall every year. In fact, falling is the leading cause of injuries classified as critical or fatal, which is one of the reasons people who would otherwise live independently are forced into care-based facilities.

Silver architecture aims to change this with building designs that are sustainable, modern, and most importantly—accommodating. Specialized design keeps age-related impairments from becoming debilitating disabilities. The best silver architecture integrates space planning, clear directional layouts, stress-reducing lighting, acoustical innovations to reduce ambient noise, comfortable and accessible furniture, safe flooring, colors that aid psychological well-being, and interactive, health focused interior design (such as plants and artwork) that stimulate and engage residents.

In a 2014 opinion piece for The New York Times, geriatrician Dr. Louise Aronson wrote that “These and other strategies are already in use in many long-term care facilities and in specialized areas of hospitals, such as geriatric emergency departments or acute care of the elderly units. But they aren’t nearly as prevalent

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as they should be.” She proposed “prizes for excellence in silver design, just as there are awards for green buildings,” adding, “silver architecture and design aren’t about indulging a special interest group.

They’re about maximizing quality of life and independence for a life stage most of us will reach. Green architecture is good for the environment; silver architecture is good for humans. The best new buildings will be both.”

Wounded Warrior Homes: According to the United States Army, 92 percent of soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan survive, compared to a rate of 75 percent in Vietnam. Navigating even a typical accessible home can be a challenge for soldiers who return from war zones after suffering debilitating injuries. The architects behind The Wounded Warrior Home Project took on some of those challenges in two homes built at Virginia’s Fort Belvoir, and unveiled in 2011.

The residences, designed by and with input from veterans (as well as their loved ones), have a universal focus on accommodation to cater to the diverse needs of injured soldiers. Wide doors and adjustable stovetops are just some of the ways the homes are adapted for physical disabilities.

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To help with trauma recovery, the houses are designed with large windows and dedicated therapy rooms to help alleviate symptoms.

The homes are geared toward helping soldiers return to duty. “The thing I see now, as I talk to the wounded warriors on this project, they want to know, ‘When can I get back to my unit?’” David Haygood, a Vietnam War vet and a partner in one of the design firms behind the homes, told NPR in 2012. Fort Belvoir’s then-battalion operations officer, Major John Votovich, told NPR, “We have more of a wounded population today that probably wouldn’t have survived in earlier generations.

They’re still productive members of the military. And they will continue to be so.”

Dementia Village: According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and that number is projected to increase: WHO projects that by 2030, 82 million people will have dementia (and 152 million by 2050).

There are 10 million new cases each year, making it “one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide.” But dementia doesn’t just affect the people who suffer from it; as WHO notes, it’s also overwhelming for the families and loved ones of people with dementia: “There is often a lack of awareness and understanding of dementia, resulting in stigmatization and barriers to diagnosis and care. The impact of dementia on careers, family, and societies can be physical, psychological, social, and economic.”

The small community of Hogewey, 10 miles outside of Amsterdam, aims to raise the quality of life for those suffering from dementia and ease the burden for their families. All the residents at Hogeway— also known as Dementia Village—have severe dementia or Alzheimer’s disease and they go about their lives within the confines of this thoughtfully designed town.

Nurses and other caretakers act as fellow townsfolk, there to keep the patients healthy and safe. As of 2014, monthly rent was never more than $3600 and often lower because of its sliding scale.

Traditional clinical settings foster isolation and reinforce medicalization of these memory-related illnesses. Hogewey’s approach to dementia de-stigmatizes the condition and creates an environment that people can live in where they require less medication and less medical intervention.

According to Yvonne van Amerongen— who had the idea for Hogewey after her father suddenly passed away—”We have Dutch design, Dutch cultures, Dutch lifestyles, but the concept is to value the person, the individual ... to support them to live their life as usual, and you can do that anywhere.”

Ecofriendly Concrete: Concrete is the most common material used by humankind, and from 1992 to 2012, the demand for cement (the key ingredient in concrete) more than tripled worldwide. As the demand and use of concrete rises, so does its environmental impact: In 2018, the International Energy Agency said that “The cement sector is the third-largest industrial energy consumer in the world, responsible for 7 percent of industrial energy use, and the second industrial emitter of carbon dioxide, with about 7 percent of global emissions.”

Which is perhaps why many are turning their attention to developing better concrete. Rutgers University materials science and engineering professor Richard E. Riman developed a technology to make concrete that stores CO2. Riman then founded Solidia Technologies Inc. in 2008; according to Phys.org, “Solidia Concrete products ... combined with Solidia Cement, can reduce the carbon footprint of cement and concrete by up to 70 percent and can save as much as 528.3 billion gallons a year.”

In 2014, Peter Trimble, then a student at the University of Edinburgh, developed what he calls “biostone,” which combines sand, bacteria, and urine; he built a machine to create a seat with the material.

In 2013, the Structural Technology Group of Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech developed “biological concrete” that grows vertical gardens.

According to ArchDaily, “The system’s advantages are numerous. The plants capture CO2 from the air and release oxygen. The

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layer also acts as insulation as a thermal mass. It helps regulate temperatures within the building by absorbing heat and preventing it from entering the building in hot weather or escaping the building in cold weather.”

Reclaiming Vacant lots for Gardens: By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population is expected to live in urban areas.

Urbanization has its positives—according to National Geographic, people are concentrated in a small space in cities, which makes schools and stores more easily accessed than in rural areas, and also “allows the government and others to provide services such as water, electricity, and transportation to a larger number of people.” But it also has its negatives, including crime and pollution, and some studies have indicated that living in a city can affect a person’s mental health.

Turning vacant lots into gardens in urban areas brings much needed greenery to cities. Studies have shown that greenery is good for cardiovascular health, boosting concentration, and lower stress levels. A 2018 study found that the greening of vacant land significantly decreased self-reported feelings of depression. Urban gardens can also be a source of locally-sourced, fresh foods.

To see the potential of the urban garden, look no further than Cuba. When Havana’s residents found themselves isolated and facing food scarcity following the collapse of the Soviet Union and embargoes against them, they began growing gardens of all sizes on balconies, in windowsills, and on roofs. To assist, the government launched new agriculture initiatives that included organic farming and urban gardening development. Instead of vacant lots going to waste, they became the sites of community agriculture.

This article is produced by PE Magazine.

The article is written by Henry Ameyaw, Business and Commerce correspondent for PE Magazine

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INFRASTRUCTRAL LANDSCAPE OF CAPE COAST The ever-growing Ghanaian population along the coast has called for improved accommodation and residential reliefs. In the 2010 population census, there was about 7% increment of the population to about 27 million with which the coastal areas recorded the highest population growth.

Be that as it may, the population growth did not qualify a similar infrastructural growth especially

in real estate. A survey by a private institution revealed that the main stagnancy in real estate development was a result of conditions such as high unemployment rate, poor remuneration for the working force, poor cultural practices and low levels of education.

It is trite that all citizens acquire accommodation which is a form of security according to Abraham Maslow’s theory of needs.

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However most freshly employed, low-income-earning citizens, find it a battle of Troy as a result of the exorbitant pricing of the few government housing units in the country especially in the coastal areas.

Cape Coast being the hub of education and tourism for Ghana is the best place to consider investing in real estate. Be that as it may, one should also know that

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Cape Coast metropolis due to its location between Tarkoradi, the oil hub of Ghana and Accra, the capital city is well-positioned to allow easy movement from one city to the other. Many tourists visit the City at least once a year and mostly spend weeks to enjoy the mind-refreshing sites located in the city. It has also become a common practice for most travellers or tourists to live in the city for months.

The presence of University of Cape Coast and the Cape Coast Technical University, as well as the establishment of KNUST campus, is another point to emphasize on.

Students would be drawn from all backgrounds to the metropolis and this will boost the market of Cape Coast for business to thrive. In fact, I have no qualms that investing in real estate in Cape Coast will be a dull venture to engage in but one should also consider the cons that present itself.

The only debilitating factor is that most inhabitants of Cape Coast are low earning citizens who are mostly employees of the numerous educational facilities in the city. Few public or privately owned companies exist in the metropolis which makes it practically impossible to earn within a certain remuneration to live a rich

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lifestyle.

Hence many real estate investors who sought to peg rents at high prices on their estates, hotels or hostels found it a windy ocean to sail through as they could not either break even or make profits.

By: JOSIAH SPIO-GARBRAH (0246555221 – Cape Coast)

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Candle Holder - Tetra A ceramic candle holder, available in black and white. Tetra is made of three small equal-size tubes, set at different angles and joining at the centre to support a fourth, perfectly vertical one.

The object reflects the world of nature, recalling out-of-scale bird claws or roots looked at through a microscope.

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Pendant Lights - Keglen The Keglen hanging pendants from Louis Poulsen have distinctive conical shades with a built-in curved opal insert. This ensures a both attractive and glare-free downward light. Each different version of the light shade provides its own diffusion of light while the white inner side ensures that its light is reflected flawlessly. A gentle light is also emitted upwards through a uniform, discreet opening in the top of the shades to create the perfect ambiance.

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DINING, RESTAURANT AND HOSPITALITY. IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON TOURISM The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the tourism industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as slump in demand among travelers. The tourism industry has been massively affected by the spread of coronavirus, as many countries have introduced travel restrictions in an attempt to contain its spread. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals might decrease by 58% to 78% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US$0.9–1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts. In many of the world’s cities, planned travel went down by 80–90%.Conflicting and unilateral travel restrictions occurred regionally and many tourist attractions around the world, such as museums, amusement parks, and sports venues closed. The latest data shows a 65% drop in international tourist arrivals in the first six months of 2020.

As a result of the pandemic, many countries and regions have imposed quarantines, entry bans, or other restrictions for citizens of or recent travelers to the most affected areas. Other countries and regions have imposed global restrictions that apply to all foreign countries and territories, or prevent their own citizens from travelling overseas.[8] Together with a decreased willingness to travel, the restrictions have had a negative economic impact on the travel sector in those regions. A possible long-term impact has been a decline of business travel and international conferencing, and the rise of their virtual, online equivalents. Concerns have been raised over the effectiveness of travel restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Tourism is one of the fastest growing economic sectors and is an important driver of economic growth and develop-

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ment. In 2018 there were 1,407 million international tourist arrivals, a six per cent increase on the previous year.4 Tourism receipts amounted to $1,480 billion, an increase by 4.4. per cent, higher than global GDP growth as in the previous 8 years. Passenger transport is worth another $250 billion. Tourism exports account for seven per cent of global trade in goods and services, or $1.7 trillion. In 2019, the most popular destinations were France, Spain, the USA and China. Tourism is a major source of employment globally. The labour market has some distinguishing features. The industry is labour-intensive in nature. A high proportion of the jobs are undertaken by women, 54 per cent, significantly higher than in most other sectors, and young employees, meaning the industry is seen as inclusive. However, women are more likely to be entrepreneurs in tourism than in other sectors and most women hold low skilled jobs in the tourism sector, making them vulnerable to shocks. There is also a significant amount of indirect employment in construction and infrastructure development, plus supplying food and drink and souvenirs to tourists. Furthermore, many employees have direct contact with tourists in travel agencies, airlines, ships, hotels, restaurants, shopping centres and various tourist attractions. COVID-19 is a health and economic crisis on a global scale. While little is known at this time about many aspects of the disease (such as asymptomatic transmission, preventative measures, possible treatments, the likelihood of a vaccine and long term effects), it is generally agreed that the virus is easily transmissible and that the fatality rate is low when compared to previous pandemics such as SARS, Ebola and the bubonic plague.

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people and those with existing ailments.

To slow the spread of the virus, many countries have encouraged or mandated the use of sanitary practices such as hand washing, social (spatial) distancing and isolation. Government have introduced a slew of policy measures such as targeted testing and tracing, lockdown measures, upgrading public health facilities and closure of borders. The measures have impacted many industries and the delivery of personal services, resulting in demand and supply side shocks. International tourism is among the economic sectors most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN WTO) estimates a loss of 850 million to 1.1 billion international tourist arrivals, $910 million to $1.1 trillion in export revenues and 100-120 million jobs, depending on whether the borders are opened in July, September or December.

Most destinations were entirely closed in April and May 2020, opening only in some regions slowly for the northern summer.

UN WTO projections reflect considerable uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic, in addition to the government response to support economic activity.

In Ghana, The Tourism and Hospitality Industry has incurred losses running into $171million as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Sector Minister, Barbara Oteng Gyasi at a press briefing in Accra revealed that the amount was for the period March to June this year, due to lack of operations.

“The initial assessment we undertook indicates that for the first four months of the restrictions between March and June 2020, we are going to have a loss of about $171million registered to the industry because of the lack of operations.”

“As we go forward and do further assessment we can analyze the full impact of COVID-19 on the sector and as government gives support to industry players, we hope to minimize this effect to some extent,” she said.

Ms Gyasi who recalled the significant boost the industry witnessed in 2019 as compared to previous years due to initiatives rolled out in the sector, lamented the strain COVID-19 had brought on such gains. “The increased number of travellers into the country last year positively impacted the industry. Several of our hotels registered 100 per cent occupancy, the arts

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and crafts dealers doubled their sales in 2019 compared to 2018, car rentals also had increased patronage but these gains have been eroded by the pandemic.”= The Minister indicated that as part of efforts to put the industry back on its feet, players will have the opportunity to benefit from government’s GH¢3 billion and GH¢600 million facilities to ameliorate the impact of the pandemic on businesses.

Africa started a phased re-opening of the sea, land and air space borders in August after nearly six months without movement. Tourism officials hope the reopening triggers a restart of the country’s important tourism sector. Kenya, like many other top tourism destinations, saw profits plummet as the coronavirus pandemic reduced numbers of both domestic and international tourists.

Mohammed Hersi, the Chairman at the Kenya Tourism Federation says older tourists, particularly those above 60-years-old, are staying home and that presents a big problem. “We’re told anybody above 60 years is in the vulnerable age group, which means that most of the travelers who have the money, means and time to visit Africa are now finding it hard to travel,”says Hersi.

Making matters worse, most of Africa’s tourists come from the United States, Canada and Europe. However with current health protocols, Hersi submits that one cannot just walk into a health facility in those developed nations to get a COVID-19 Health certificate. This he argues will be the biggest challenge for most African countries especially with the requirement that visitors must have the document 96 hours prior to their trip.

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Lamps - Panthella Collection The Panthella Collection designed by Verner Panton for Louis Poulsen includes floor, table and MINI table lights. The fixture emits a soft and comfortable illumination which is directed downwards by the hemispherical shade.

The acrylic shades ensure that the majority of the light is spread diffusely in the room from the surface of the shade. The Louis Poulsen MINI table light is available in multiple colors and a chrome version which directs light directly downwards and creates a soft and comfortable illumination due to the inner white painted shade and the reflection from the trumpet-shaped stem.

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Ningbo Urban Construction Archives / DC ALLIANCE · c+d Design Research Center Text description provided by the architects. City is composed by buildings, and buildings are constructed from different building blocks, which have special space and material attributes; hence, the history of city construction can be understood as history of fortification, and Ningbo Urban Development Archives is a collector of this history of fortification indeed.

Base on the understanding of the city construction, we superimpose the two properties of “space” and “material” to support the concept of “masonry”.

The object of masonry should first be the space itself, that is, taking the space as a block. This requires the deconstruction, classification and reorganization of the functional space of the archive building; and further externalizing its public, or private, or open, or closed attributes to form different sizes and virtual or real “space blocks”. Then build them orderly in the right place.

We hope that the history of fortification can be read intuitively on this building. Thus, we selected materials that can best represent contemporary urban construction activities: concrete, stone, bricks, glass, metal plates, etc.; they are randomly attached to the surface of the “block” to form a certain sense of disorder and chaos; and truly illustrate current state of the city.

We are inspired by the ancient inscription bricks collected by Tianyi Pavilion and embossed the administrative names of Ningbo in various periods of history into seal scripts and then imprinted to the “blocks” to form an obscure but readable pattern system.

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In addition, in order to increase the texture of the glass blocks and create a hazy interior light and shadow effect, we used words and paragraphs about urban construction in “Kaogongji” and garden construction in “Yuanye” to be mirrored and printed with type composition on two glass curtain walls on the ground floor and float in the space. Thus, the glass material becomes a texture that can be interpreted, suggesting the function and cultural attributes of the building.

In order to realize “masonry” in its structure, we cut the concrete structure of the entire building modularly. The structural components of more than three floors, including beams, floors, columns, stairs, etc., are all prefabricated construction. The concrete components were prefabricated and cured in the factory in advance with only relatively simple cast-in-situ on site. The accuracy of construction is improved and construction lead time greatly shortened. Therefore, this project has become a major breakthrough in the field of public building construction technology in Ningbo.

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TRANSPORTATION, HIGH SPEED RAIL IN AFRICA. WHAT ARE THE PROSPECTS? Railways have, for more than 100 years, been the most significant mode of transport which contributed to the development of African countries. Its history in many parts of Africa is closely linked to that of colonization. . Railway transport appeared in Africa at the end of the 19th century and 50 years since its introduction saw a period of strong expansion. Past objectives of moving primary commodities (minerals, wood, tropical products) from the interior to ports, bound for the European metropolises influenced the general design of the networks, in particular, starting from the seaports in order to facilitate penetration of the hinterland. To-date, the entire African railway network estimated at about 75,000 km on a surface of 30.2 million km², translates into a density of approximately 2.5 km for 1000 km², which is far below that of other regions and the world average of 23 for 1000 km² African railways consist mostly of single lines penetrating inland from the coastal seaports with little interconnections, with the exception of Southern Africa and some parts of North Africa. The average technical speeds of African railways are about 30 to 35 km/hr. and the commercial speeds are even lower. Sixteen countries do not have railway lines or sections of

international lines. The national railway networks in sub-Saharan Africa are mostly independent of each other except some parts in the Eastern and Southern African rail systems, which are interconnected.

Other African interconnected railways systems are those of Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal-Mali, and Ethiopia–Djibouti.

Since the 1970s African railways have generally been managed as state enterprises with cumbersome and bureaucratic administration. By the mid-1980s the situation started changing gradually with a view to enhancing the sustainability and viability of the railways. Programmes for railway restructuring and commercialization were later followed by privatisation.

9. Most African railways revised their legal status within the framework of liberalization and commercialisation thus paving the way for private sector participation, and concessions have been concluded in a number of countries, albeit with mixed outcomes. 10. In most cases, privatisation has not achieved positive results in the continent as envisaged. Railway traffic has continued to decline due to poor management, old and dilapidated infrastructure and equipment and imbalanced competition with flexible and privately owned road

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transport companies most of whom have no responsibility for the road infrastructure they use.

The African Union Commission, in collaboration with the RECs, AfDB, UNECA and specialised institutions, is working on promoting and facilitating development of railway transport under its Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) focuses on promoting the development of an integrated transport network for the continent which capitalises on the suitability of each mode of transport. In this context, railways have always been considered as the backbone of the transport networks at all levels. 19. In the framework of PIDA, railway network development is part of the development of the African Regional Transport Infrastructure Network (ARTIN). The ARTIN consists of the 9 Trans-African Highways (TAH) plus 40 key corridors carrying 40% of Africa’s 4 international trade, 19 ports handling 70% of the continent’s international trade, and 53 airports handling 90% of the continent’s air traffic.

Despite the difficulties in mobilising the massive financial resources and investments for railway construction and modernisation, some African countries are making progress either individually

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or collectively in developing their networks. In Northern and Southern Africa, significant developments have been done in the railway sub-sector by the concerned countries. The railway networks in those regions are in a comparatively better shape.

26. It would also be noted that there are some ongoing and completed projects for railway construction and upgrading to accommodate high speed trains in the countries of Angola, Ethiopia and Morocco.

In East Africa, Kenya has launched a new high speed railway from Mombasa which is to extend to South Sudan, DR Congo and Burundi. The cost of the railway will be US$5.2bn and will be mostly funded

by China. 27. An impressive collaboration in railway project implementation has been achieved in the countries of the West African railway loop across Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Cote d’Ivoire (Cotonou-Niamey-Ouagadougou-Abidjan Railway) The Government of Ghana has signed a concession agreement with the South African firm Ai SkyTrain Consortium Holdings for the construction of $2.6bn high-speed railway in Ghana’s capital Accra.

The agreement was signed on the opening day of the second Africa Investment Fo-

rum, which is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said: “I was here last year and I’m back this year to make sure the project moves forward. This proves how important the Africa Investment Forum is. The signing of this agreement is on track to improve the lives of our citizens.”

Backed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) funding, the Accra Skytrain high-capacity public transport system will be completely automated and cost-efficient.

Featuring pneumatic propulsion technology, the system will have the capacity to transport more than 380,000 passengers annually and create about 5,000 jobs during its implementation phase. It will have a total track length of 194km across all routes.

AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina said: “This is what Africa wants: finalized agreements.

“What we want is for Africa to invest in Africa! We want to see this kind of thing happening all the time. This project will modernise Ghana, providing green transport for its citizens.”

Ghana Railway Infrastructure Minister

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Joe Ghartey said: “We have worked hard together to get to this stage of the project.

We have more work to do to be able to tell the whole world, between now and next year, that the project’s financing is complete and that its operational phase has begun.”

Ghana Investment Promotion Centre CEO Yofi Grant said that the project would reach financial close by this time next year.

Ghartey added: “What we have signed today is a concession agreement but we still have some work to do. We will work hard and work together. We think it is achievable, we must make it work.”

The sky train initiative in Accra involves the development of five routes including four comprised of radial routes that originate at the proposed sky train terminal at a newly developed Kwame Nkrumah circle, and one route that provides and intra-city commuter loop distribution service.

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LINVISIBILE INFINITO VERTICAL PIVOT DOOR Linvisibile Infinito Vertical Pivot door swivels open on a vertical axis, thanks to a sophisticated hidden pivot system. Available with or without stop, the pivoting door can rotate on itself up to 360° opening.

The Infinito system allows the application of diverse finishes over the panel surfaces, thanks to an aluminum outer frame system which hosts the preselected coating, the variety of finishes that can be applied to the Infinito vertical pivot extends to any material with a maximum thickness of 3 mm and an overall weight below 70 kg. There is also the opportunity to apply different finishes on both sides of the door leaf and to personalize the color of the outer frame in matte lacquer compatible with the coatings selected or anodized in 6 colors.

An extruded aluminum frame Push or Pull versions (EN AW 6060 alloy Anticorodal 063), assembled ready to house bolts and locks, able to adapt to walls and plasterboard of different thicknesses 50 mm thick panel, consisting of: An internal structure consisting of honeycomb panels A perimeter frame in extruded oxidized natural aluminum applied along the perimeter to the panel with a square angles fixing system A liner of a pre-selected coating material 3 mm (laminate, fiberglass, methacrylate) 4 mm thick (glass/mirror), applied over the panel sides. Available in the following finishes: laminate, AlcantaraÂŽ, glass, mirror, microcement, and gres porcelain; Concealed rotating pivots, which can be positioned at a minimum distance of 65 mm from the jamb to a maximum point at the center of the panel for the model with stop, or for the model without stop, from a minimum of 250 mm from the jamb to the center of the panel

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UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN THE REAL ESTATE MARKET THE REAL TIME EXPERIENCE The customer experience (CX) is at the core value in the real estate industry.

Buyers, sellers, tenants, investors and real estate professionals base their buying behavior and brand loyalty on the level of service and engagement they receive.

When competition is stiff in the real estate industry, and technology is automating services everywhere you turn – what makes you stand apart from the rest? Providing a VIP client experience that will leave a lasting impression. It is important to never forget that you are in the service world.

The experience your clients have will make or break your reputation, and amazing experiences can build the foundation for a lasting, thriving business.

Give customers a great experience, and

they’ll buy more, be more loyal and share their experience with friends and family.

That’s what every company should be striving for. Yet so many consumers seem let down. According to a 2018 PwC study, consumers are willing to pay up to 16% more for a better customer experience.

Meanwhile, bad experiences can quickly repel customers, with many saying that they would stop doing business with a company due to unfriendly service (60%), lack of company trust (50%) and unknowledgeable employees (46%). However, it is speed and efficiency (80%), knowledgeable and helpful employees (78%) and convenience (77%) that matter the most when it comes to customer experience.

The needs and expectations of consum-

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ers are changing drastically, with over 40% of consumers expecting a reply to their query within the hour and 52% of consumers willing to pay a price premium for greater speed and efficiency. In other words, customer experience is everything.

What’s important about creating a VIP experience? This worldwide focus on creating a royal customer experience is indicative of the shift towards customer experience in real estate. In an industry built on trusting relationships, providing a great customer experience is imperative to increasing customer satisfaction and retention levels, managing your reputation and growing your real estate enterprise.

Additionally, increased competition from new market entrants has meant that real

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estate agents are under more pressure than ever to clearly articulate their value proposition and offer a superior experience as a point of difference. Owners.com, a customer-focused real estate brokerage, revealed in a recent survey that the top reason 42% of participants chose their real estate agent was through a referral from friends or family, making this a crucial way to build and retain a client base.

Real estate experts have been promoting the benefit of niche marketing for years.

In terms of the customer experience, niche marketing still makes a lot of sense: A niche can be based on specific locations, types of architecture and types of lifestyles etc. If you’re working in a niche, you’re the one with the answers at your fingertips that customers are searching for. You don’t need to research what a buyer should look for in a horse property – the answers will be immediate and informed by in depth knowledge.

At the end of the day, a customer is more prone to sign with someone who has a passion, expertise and unique foothold with their interests in mind. So find a suitable niche in your area by figuring out what types of properties are available, gauging your own interests and connecting with like-minded groups to see if there’s a demand for the service.

Brand and customer experience are already transforming interactions between buyers and sellers of most products and services.

Now they are influencing how commercial properties are constructed, designed and leased well into the future. Landlords impervious to changing workplace dynamics and rising customer expectations will lose out to market disruptors.

According to a 2018 PwC study titled Experience is Everything: Here’s How To Get It Right, consumers are willing to pay

up to 16% more for a better customer experience. Meanwhile, bad experiences can quickly drive consumers away, with many saying that they would stop doing business with a company due to unfriendly service (60%), lack of company trust (50%) and unknowledgeable employees (46%).

However, it is speed and efficiency (80%), knowledgeable and helpful employees (78%) and convenience (77%) that matter the most when it comes to customer experience.

This shift towards customer experience can be attributed to the advent of cloud technology, social media and the rise of on-demand services like Netflix, Spotify and Uber in the last few years. Rather than providing an end product, these platforms provide a personalised service that is delivered on-demand, while ensuring transparency at every stage of the customer journey.

As a result, the needs and expectations of consumers have changed drastically, with over 40% of consumers expecting a reply to their query within the hour and 52% of consumers willing to pay a price premium for greater speed and efficiency.

While there is a shift towards the customer experience, customer service is still critical to customer satisfaction and retention. In fact, the main goal of crafting a great customer experience is to pre-empt customer service queries.

Let’s take a look at the difference between customer service and customer experience: Forbes defines customer service as “the advice or assistance that a company provides to its customers.”Meanwhile, customer experience is defined as “the total journey of a customer’s interactions with a brand.”

This means that customer service is reactive and may be a one-time interaction,

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while customer experience is proactive and aims to take into account every single touchpoint that a customer can have with a brand. This might include interactions with the brand’s website, online support, live chat, social media, webinars, search ads, Youtube videos, emails and any offline marketing efforts, phone calls, events and interactions with staff.

As PwC states, a “good customer experience leaves people feeling heard and appreciated; it minimizes friction, maximizes efficiency and maintains a human element.” This worldwide focus on customer experience is indicative of the shift towards customer experience in real estate.

In an industry built on relationships, providing a great customer experience is imperative to bolstering customer satisfaction and retention levels, managing your reputation and growing your real estate business.

Additionally, increased competition from new market entrants has meant that real estate agents are under more pressure than ever to clearly articulate their value proposition and offer a superior experience as a point of difference.

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TETUAN COLIVING

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rban sociologist Ray Oldenburg is known for his theory of the “third place”. According to him, one’s sense of personal fulfilment is derived from having beyond the realms of home and workplace an informal space where social bonds are formed.

Cowork and coliving are part of these new third-placespaces created to develop human activity for the new generation of citizens, people that understand workspace and home as a service, but a service that has to be aligned with their aspirations and beliefs, a place that give them a sense of “belonging”.

We refurbish this residential building from the 60s in a quiet traditional neighbourhood of Madrid, transforming traditional oversized apartments into a coliving experience for 20 people.

Who are the users of this community? Mainly workers that come for a short mission to Madrid or people enjoying their first job, postgrad students…and even now a football player lives here and defends the advantages of sharing.

The aim of the project was to respect and enhance the memory of the old building, keeping some of the character but transforming it in a vibrant space to live.

It has been a great exercise of adaptive reuse, and we think this is the way to bring new life to the historical and central neighbourhoods.

This is a whole community, where every room has a private bathroom, and they share a whole set of common areas as kitchen, coworking place, living room, bike parking, amazon lockers, a private fridge in the kitchen area…and a fantastic terrace to enjoy Madrid´s weather.

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Phone: +233 (0)244 371 879, +233 (0) 272 332 332 Email:sales@blackparkgh.com

www.blackparkgh.com The African Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine

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HOW PREPARED IS THE AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURAL MARKET IN THE AFCFTA ERA The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was set to launch on 30th May, 2019. If every African country joins, it’s expected to be one of the world’s largest single markets, accounting for $4 trillion in spending and investment across the 54 countries.

The AfCFTA will give entrepreneurs across the continent access to a much larger market. It’s therefore important that young African entrepreneurs understand how the AfCFTA could benefit them and their ventures. As awareness is raised, entrepreneurs should begin crafting new trade roadmaps for their businesses, informed by the agreement.

It’s envisioned that the free trade area will lead to increased competition, innovation and prosperity for Africa’s people in the long term. But for the AfCFTA’s gains to be realized, entrepreneurs and policy-makers must be aligned. They must engage with each other to provide structure and clarity around how goods and services will move, and around the benefits that the agreement will bring to business. These discussions between entrepreneurs and the trade ministries of their country will also enable the review and updating of national trade policies, discussions which will benefit both the government and business.

Ken Ukaoha knows something about infrastructure and intra-Africa trade. He is the founder and chief executive officer of

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Kenaux International Concept, a shoe and garment manufacturing company based in Aba, southeast Nigeria. Kenaux’s products sell in Nigeria and other African countries, including Ghana, South Africa and parts of Central Africa.

The poor state of infrastructure is the bane of Africans doing business within Africa, says Mr. Ukaoha, who is also the president of the Association of Nigerian Traders. Despite decades of common market agreements within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), poor transportation continues to impede market access.

“We do not have railway to move merchandise from one country to the other.

Sea-freighting goods is also a problem— the sea links are not there,” Mr. Ukaoha told Africa Renewal, underscoring the need for domestic shipping lines that can transport goods across countries.

Mr. Ukaoha, who is also an expert in international trade law and globalisation, explained the difficulties in transporting goods among ECOWAS countries: “When I import raw materials like leather from Hamburg in Germany to Lagos in Nigeria, I pay 850 euros [$986] for a 40-foot container. But the same container transporting our products from Lagos to Tema Port in Ghana costs 1,350 euros [$1566].”

Road transportation, he adds, also presents challenges. “We don’t have good roads,

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and in the mix of that, you experience a lot of lhiccups along the route,” including police and customs checkpoints, where bribery is common.

Even within countries, the state of infrastructure is so bad that business owners sometimes construct the roads leading to their factories, dig water boreholes or buy electricity generators for production.

“All these make us uncompetitive,” Mr. Ukaoha admits.

Speaking recently on the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Senegalese finance minister Amadou Ba affirmed the prospect of meaningful gains from the newly signed treaty.

“Our countries are individually and collectively committed,” Mr. Ba declared, but he added a cautionary note that African policy makers must prioritize investments in regional infrastructure that catalyse integration and facilitate intracontinental trade.

“In Ghana, Margaret Lartey, an Accra-based tomato trader, has firsthand experience moving goods by road among different countries. She buys tomatoes from Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and different regions in Ghana to sell in Accra and is appalled by multiple police checkpoints on the road and extortion at the borders by police and customs officers.

In addition, transportation costs keep rising due to fluctuating fuel prices. “We used to transport a truck of tomatoes from Burkina Faso to Ghana for $738, but this has gone up to $843,” Ms. Lartey grumbles.”

“Construction of road networks, telecom and rail will dramatically open and expand markets and grow business,” notes Mr. Ukaoha optimistically. “If we have a cost-efficient and easy way of moving goods from Ghana to Nigeria and other parts of the [West African] region, that will be a market of more than 350 million people.”

Some business leaders, however, fear the border-free agreement could harm local industries. Trade liberalization, Mr. Ukaoha points out, could be a “killer” because a flood of imports, even from other African countries, may dislodge the local industry.

“Unrestricted imports do not allow local producers to grow.”

Ultimately, Mr. Ukaoha is sceptical about AfCFTA. “We have ECOWAS, the Southern African Customs Union, Economic Partnership Agreements, and many other agreements and frameworks to boost a common market that we are still working to implement,” he says. “And just when we thought we were making progress, we have another trade agreement [AfCFTA], which

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is punching all previous agreements.... At the end of the day, progress is stalled.”

While the focus is on AfCFTA, critics have pointed to other serious weaknesses in the financial system, which they claim is not helping traders and cannot deliver the economic development Africa needs.

Gyekye Tanoh, of Third World Network-Africa, an Accra-based civil society organization that promotes equitable trade policies, sees a harmful trend of “speculative exploitation of differences between international and interest rates and exchange rate movements by the banks.”

Rather than mobilising capital for the productive sectors of the economy, banks are looking for quick returns by buying government’s securities, Mr. Tanoh told Africa Renewal in Accra.

Ms. Lartey agrees, adding that she could not get a bank loan despite all efforts.

Most banks demand collateral that business owners do not have, concurs Mr. Ukaoha, adding, “Even if you meet their demand, the interest rate is too high.…

It takes extra hard work, resistance and determination to succeed.”

The liberalization of the financial sector in West Africa is a magnet for the private sector, including foreign banks that have moved in to dominate the sector, changing the structure of domestic banking, including how banks lend to businesses, says Mr. Tanoh.

Even as short-term loans become less expensive, small businesses and cooperatives are hardly considered for loans, he adds.

But there are significant improvements in some financial transactions, making life easier for traders. Cashless payments, provided by most banks, allow a trader in Ghana to travel to Benin and pay for goods without cash. In the past, such a trader would have to carry a bag of cash, which was awkward and risky.

When AfCFTA finally comes into effect, trading among countries will rely heavily on cashless payments. The benefits will be greatest for traders who currently endure excruciating difficulty doing business across borders.

The AfCFTA aims to address the trading impediments highlighted by Mr. Ukaoha and others, particularly policy inconsistency and nontariff barriers such as bottlenecks at the land borders. Before then, African leaders and other experts pushing for a free trade area have some work to do selling its benefits to sceptical traders.

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2021 TOYOTA RAV4

From spartan to swanky to outdoorsy, the 2021 Toyota RAV4 offers something for almost everyone. The base LE covers the economical end of the spectrum while the well-equipped Limited and TRD Off-Road models offer impressive amounts of equipment aimed at two very different types of buyers. No matter which trim you choose, the RAV4 comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic. Front-wheel drive is standard but all-wheel drive is optional on the LE, XLE, XLE Premium, and Limited, and standard on the Adventure and TRD Off-Road models. The RAV4’s square-jawed looks are inspired by the 4Runner SUV and Tacoma pickup truck, but its car-based construction delivers a smoother ride than either of those trucks. Interior accommodations are spacious and the materials chosen are durable, but those buyers seeking modern-day convenience features such as power-adjustable seats, push-button start, and blind-spot monitoring will want to avoid the entry-level model.

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AFCFTA SECRETARIAT COMMISSIONED IN ACCRA AS FREE TRADE IS SET TO BEGIN IN JANUARY 2021

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he Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has officially opened in Accra, Ghana, a major milestone in the full implementation of the free trade agreement.

A flagship project of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area creates a market of 1.2 billion people with a combined GDP of $3 trillion.

Trading under the AfCFTA that was originally planned for 1 July 2020 and delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic will now begin in January 2021, according to the African Union.

Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo handed over the Secretariat to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, at a ceremony in Accra, on 17 August.

President Akufo-Addo also announced at the event the provision of a residential accommodation to serve as the official residence of the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA. He said that Africa’s prosperity depends largely on intra-African trade. “Increase in trade is the surest way to deepen regional integration in Africa. “We are now the world’s largest free trade area since the formation of the World Trade Organization,

and we must make it count,” enthused the president.

A market of 1.2 billion people and a combined GDP of $3 trillion offers “a huge opportunity to exploit the abundant wealth and resources of our great continent for the benefit of all our people,” he said.

Despite the devastating effects of COVID-19 on African economies, AfCFTA Secretary-General Wamkele Mene said an opportunity exists to establish robust supply and value chains for Africa as well as diversify the continent’s productive capacity, particularly from the overreliance on the export of primary commodities.

“Africa continues to be trapped in a colonial economic model, which requires that we aggressively implement the AfCFTA as one of the tools for effecting a fundamental structural transformation of Africa’s economy,” Mr. Mene maintained. “We have to take action now to dismantle this colonial economic model.”

He added that Africa must respond to the current challenges to the multilateral trading system by consolidating and advancing “our continental market integration objectives, through the AfCFTA. “The AfCFTA signals that Africa is open for business and mutually beneficial investment, thereby creating decent jobs and

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improving livelihoods,” Mr. Mene added.

The Chairperson of the African Union, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, said in a statement read on his behalf in Accra that COVID-19 has “exposed the entrenched inequalities between men and women and the plight of women and girls with regard to gender-based violence, particularly domestic violence.”

President Ramaphosa maintained that education and economic empowerment of girls and women in Africa must be prioritized. He expressed regret that a significant drop in revenue as a result of the pandemic has forced countries into high levels of debt, “which have increased to roughly US40 billion annually, driven higher by the depreciation of many African currencies in 2020.”

Mr. Mahamat commended Ghana for hosting the Secretariat, adding that “Ghana is a historical trading centre for gold, cocoa, timbers and other valuable goods, and remains an important center of commerce on the continent and beyond.

Africa must increase its resilience against future pandemics through market integration, accelerated industrial development and enhanced competitiveness, the AUC Chairperson recommended.

“While the operationalization of the Sec88

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retariat was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the same pandemic has also magnified the urgent need for speed to accelerate economic integration on the Continent,” he said.

Ghana’s Minister for Trade and Industry Alan Kyerematen listed the benefits of a free trade area in Africa, including increasing by up to 52% intra-African trade by 2022, consolidating currently fragmented markets, economies of scale, value addition to Africa’s natural resources and economic diversification.

Mr. Kyerematen reiterated that the establishment of a Free Trade Area for Africa is “the first major building block for the African Economic Community, after which we expect to transition into a Customs Union before reaching our ultimate goal.”

The AfCFTA was established in 2018 with the aim to create a single market for goods, services, facilitated by movement of persons to deepen the economic integration of the African continent, under the Pan African Vision of “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa. Consolidating Africa into one trade area provides great opportunities for entrepreneurs, businesses and consumers across the continent and the chance to support sustainable development in the world’s least developed region.

Africa is a diverse continent fragmented in 54 independent sovereign states, which are

organized in Trade Blocks and associate under the African Union as Members.

African trade in comparison to world trade is still very low at less than three percent: this is because commodities and natural resources still dominate Africa’s export basket and the continent’s participation in the global value chain has remained minimal. Insecurity and border conflicts in some parts of Central Africa (DR. Congo), West Africa (Bokoharum in Nigeria), and East Africa (Somalia) are among the factors contributing to low internal African and external trade. Africa trades less within itself and more with third countries increasing our balance of payment and rising trade dependence on foreign markets.

The formation of the AfCFTA is an attempt to reverse this trend by progressively eliminating tariffs on intra-African trade, making it easier for African businesses to trade within the continent and cater to and benefit from the growing African market.

The agreement is expected to: create a liberalised market for goods and services through successive rounds of negotiations; contribute to the movement of capital and persons and facilitate investments; lay the foundation for the establishment of a Continental Customs Union; enhance the competitiveness of the members’ economies and promote industrial development through diversification and regional value chain development, agricultural devel-

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opment and food security. And in the long run, it will help promote and attain sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development, gender equality and structural transformation across the continent.

But what does that mean for the entrepreneurs? The AfCFTA agreement has the potential to become a game changer and bring some great opportunities for entrepreneurs, such as: Improving the intra-African trade landscape and export structure; Creating a sound global economic impact; Developing better policy frameworks; Fostering specialisation and boosting industrialisation; Strengthening regional and inter-state cooperation; Increasing employment and investment opportunities, as well as technological development; Providing the opportunity to harness Africa’s population dividend.

However, for young people to benefit equitably, these aspects must be addressed and improved across the content: access to information, access to education, and access to capital. Without these three elements, youth will be inactive in the AfCFTA and Africa will not achieve population dividend, where a country’s working-age population grows larger relative to the young dependent population.

Similar to any other trade block, AfCFTA is likely to encounter some challenges. For example, the implementation is complex and poses significant adjustments costs for member countries; it is also hard to ensure broad-based gains for all Member States. Moreover, in some countries, weak infrastructures, low technological uptake and conflicts will threaten the implementation of the agreement. Finally, there’s a general fear of losing control and sense loss of identity across segments of the population.

These challenges will require the African Union’s Chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa to work closely with other political heads and the secretariat to negotiate best terms for a single market.

Despite these possible challenges, it’s important to note that the benefits for the continent will surpass the risks if the trade agreement is successful: Africa will be more self-sustainable if it increases trade with itself and creates value addition systems for its products. There is no doubt that AfCFTA is the biggest trade area since the inception of WTO and if it works out will spring immerse development on the African continent.

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND PANDEMIC. ROOT CAUSES

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lobal warming is a phenomenon of climate change characterized by a general increase in average temperatures of the Earth, which modifies the weather balances and ecosystems for a long time. It is directly linked to the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, worsening the greenhouse effect.

In fact, the average temperature of the planet has increased by 0.8º Celsius (33.4° Fahrenheit) compared to the end of the 19th century. Each of the last three decades has been warmer than all previous decades since the beginning of the statistical surveys in 1850. At the pace of current CO2 emissions, scientists expect an increase of between 1.5° and 5.3°C (34.7° to 41.5°F) in average temperature by 2100. If no action is taken, it would have harmful consequences to humanity and the biosphere.

We don’t have direct evidence that climate change is influencing the spread of COVID-19, but we do know that climate change alters how we relate to other species on Earth and that matters to our health and our risk for infections. As the planet heats up, animals big and small, on land and in the sea, are headed to the poles to get out of the heat. That means animals are coming into contact with other animals they normally wouldn’t, and that creates an opportunity for pathogens to get into

new hosts.

Many of the root causes of climate change also increase the risk of pandemics.

Deforestation, which occurs mostly for agricultural purposes, is the largest cause of habitat loss worldwide. Loss of habitat forces animals to migrate and potentially contact other animals or people and share germs. Large livestock farms can also serve as a source for spillover of infections from animals to people. Less demand for animal meat and more sustainable animal husbandry could decrease emerging infectious disease risk and lower greenhouse gas emissions. We have many reasons to take climate action to improve our health and reducing risks for infectious disease emergence is one of them.

Recent research from Rachel Nethery, Xiauo Wu, Francesca Dominici and other colleagues at Harvard Chan has found that people who live in places with poor air quality are more likely to die from COVID-19 even when accounting for other factors that may influence risk of death such as pre-existing medical conditions, socioeconomic status, and access to healthcare.

This finding is consistent with prior research that has shown that people who are exposed to more air pollution and who smoke fare worse with respiratory infections than those who are breathing cleaner

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air, and who don’t smoke.

In places where air pollution is a routine problem, we have to pay particular attention to individuals who may be more exposed or vulnerable than others to polluted air, such as the homeless, those who don’t have air filtration in their homes, or those whose health is already compromised. These individuals may need more attention and support than they did even before coronavirus came along.

For those interested in research papers on air pollution and virus transmission: Exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States (Harvard University, preprint, 2019). This study found that a small increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 leads to a large increase in COVID-19 death rate.

Measuring the impact of air pollution on respiratory infection risk in China (Environmental Pollution, 2018). This study found that worse air quality in China may increase transmission of infections that cause influenza-like illnesses.

The association between respiratory infection and air pollution in the setting of air quality policy and economic change (Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 2019). A study of nearly 500,000 New York residents found that higher particulate matter air pollution levels increased

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the chances of hospitalization for pneumonia and emergency department visits, especially for influenza.

Airborne transmission may have played a role in the spread of 2015 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in the United States (Scientific Reports, 2019).

Researchers have found that several viruses, including adenovirus and influenza virus, can be carried on air particles. This recent paper finds that particulate matter likely contributed to the spread of the 2015 avian influenza.

Relationship between ambient air pollution and daily mortality of SARS in Beijing (Biomedical and Environmental Sciences, 2005). During the SARS epidemic in 2003, this study found that increases in particulate matter air pollution increased risks of dying from the disease. SARS is a coronavirus, like COVID-19.

Climate change has already made conditions more favorable to the spread of some infectious diseases, including Lyme disease, waterborne diseases such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus which causes vomiting and diarrhea, and mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Future risks are not easy to foretell, but climate change hits hard on several fronts that matter to when and where pathogens appear, including temperature and rainfall patterns. To help limit the risk of infec-

tious diseases, we should do all we can to vastly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.

We have seen a trend of greater emergence of infectious diseases in recent decades. Most of these diseases have entered into people from animals, especially wild animals. This trend has many causes.

We have massive concentrations of domesticated animals around the world, some of which can be home to pathogens, like the flu, that can make people sick. We also have massive concentrations of people in cities where diseases transmitted by sneezing may find fertile ground. And we have the ability to travel around the globe in less than a day and share germs widely.

But a look at the origins of COVID reveals that other forces may be in play. In the past century we have escalated our demands upon nature, such that today, we are losing species at a rate unknown since the dinosaurs, along with half of life on earth, went extinct 65 million years ago. This rapid dismantling of life on earth owes primarily to habitat loss, which occurs mostly from growing crops and raising livestock for people. With fewer places to live

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and fewer food sources to feed on, animals find food and shelter where people are, and that can lead to disease spread.

Another major cause of species loss is climate change, which can also change where animals and plants live and affect where diseases may occur. Historically, we have grown as a species in partnership with the plants and animals we live with. So, when we change the rules of the game by drastically changing the climate and life on earth, we have to expect that it will affect our health.

This article is produced by PE Magazine and its collaborators.

Henry Ameyaw : Contributor to PE News

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Diaspora Ghana Property Awards & Exhibition 2020-2021 BEST PROPERTY MARKETING COMPANY 2020-21 AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Diaspora Ghana Property Awards & Exhibition 2020-2021 BEST DESIGN OUTLAY GHANA 2020-21 APARTMENTS, DIASPORA

GHANA DIASPORA

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BEST DIASPORA INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING COMPANY OF THE YEAR

BEST DESIGN OUTLAY GHANA 2020 –21 LOWER INCOME, DIASPORA

2020-21, GHANA DIASPORA

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Ghana International Bank

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First National Bank

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Diaspora Ghana Property Awards & Exhibition 2020-2021 BEST DIASPORA MORTGAGE COMPANY (TOWN HOUSE) 2020–21 GHANA, DIASPORA

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First National Bank

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Allianz Insurance Company Ghana Ltd

Unique Insurance Company Ltd

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World Remit

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ELECTROCHEM GHANA Limited (EGL)

Location: Porchester Hall 45 Porchester Road Bayswater London W2 5HS www.ghanapropertyawards.com 0044 7404714332

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Grespania When it comes to choosing a porcelain countertop in a kitchen design, bear in mind how it will be used and the lifestyle of the users.

Maintenance, resistance and durability are the three basic pillars to consider when specifying the correct material. It is important to find a material that is both extremely functional yet at the same time is aesthetically appealing.

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NOVEMBER 2020 LISTINGS GPS- GW-0019-8632 SCHOOL FOR SALE AMASAMANACCRA About this listing This school began operation in 2010 with a total population of 120 students and 16 workers. The structure is on a plot of land measuerd 70 by 100. It is located in the middle of the town not far from the main road. It also have a 3 storey building foundation.

It is priced at ghc500,000.00 COMMERCIAL LAND ASIKUMAH -DORYUMU ACCRA Ayikuma-Doryumu, Tema About this listing The Tema- Akosombo - New Railway Line passes through this very land offering great opportunity for commercial activities that awaits business and offers the property good access to Tema and Accra..

Asikuma-Doryumu is ideal for residential/ Commercial real estate. Real Estate Investors looking to invest in Ghana, Greater Accra region. You are welcome to discuss any business relationship including a JV. The size of the property is 137 acres.

Outright sale price is $15m . If its a JV, the investor must be ready to offer GHc4m.

COMMERCIAL LAND ADEDOME GHANA Adedome, Lower Volta About this listing This Commercial Farm Land is well suited for Country Homes, Resorts and Commercial large scale farming. The location Adedome is right on the lower volta River. Investors who are interested to enter into large commercial farming must take the opportunity right now.

Also, Real Estate Developers well vested in Resorts tourism are advised to engage.

Asking price for the land is $12,000,000.00 Twelve Million USD. Documentation are available on request . Valuation report is also available. FOR RENT Executive Homes 4 Bedrooms Detached House at Sakumono About this listing Executive Homes 4 Bedrooms Detached House at Sakumono Gated Community, 24 Hour Security Services, CCTV Cameras. Garage and Extra Space for About 3 Cars. All Ensuite Spacious Bedrooms Fitted Air Conditioners and Fans, Lighting System, Balconies Kitchen comes Fully Fitted with Washing Machine, Double Door Fridge, Microwave Oven, Five Burner Cooker, Smoke Extractor, Kettle and a Blender Just a cool $2,500 per month

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GPS : 4 BEDROOM TOWNHOUSE, CANTONMENTS ACCRA National film and television instituted (NAFTI) About this listing TO LET : This stunning property is for rentals . All the requirements one is expected from a quality lifestyle can be derived from this property. Cantonment is the diplomatic district of the country and all you require from a great city you can be assured of and get it there. The location is one of the preferred areas for most expats living in Accra, Ghana. A neighbourhood that used to house colonial-era workers, Cantonments was one of Accra’s foremost-created neighbourhoods.

Cantonments is an affluent suburb of the Ghana GPS : REBURY VISTAS, TSE ADDO IN ACCRA, TRADE FAIR About this listing Rubury Vistas is located at Tse Addo, a prime Location in Accra Ghana. Trade fair is coming up with a huge redevelopment commercial hub for business in Ghana.

Buying this property offers you the opportunity to get hold of one of the best investment in Ghana. These are modern flats designed with first time buyers and investors in mind. ABOUT REDEVELOPMENT OF TRADEFAIR When completed the new Ghana International Trade Fair Centre will house 1) Convention and Exhibition Facilities, 2) a Technology Centre, 3) Hotels and S

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AIRPORT CITY TWIN TOWERS

by John Watson of Mayfair -Estates Limited.

For Further Information & Purchase, Contact: 0249 315 023 | 0277 315 023 | 0555 957 467 www.mayfairestatesltd.co.uk

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