The body of knowledge in the context of African Real Estate is growing constantly. The research discipline has attracted increased interest and thereby, the number of available publications has augmented. And while it becomes more and more difficult to keep track of the various research directions and contemporary research output in African Real Estate as the discipline progresses, new media provide viable solutions to the problem. This contribution outlines concepts for promoting research on African Real Estate, exemplified by the AfRER.org Research Database, and gives an outlook on scaling the list of available publications into a dynamic web-based system for supporting both authors and researchers on the quest for information and data. The contribution also makes suggestions on how to involve relevant stakeholders by fostering and developing research peer groups regarding African Real Estate research output.

Entitled 'Promoting Publications in African Real Estate Research – Status Quo and Outlook‘, this topic was originally presented at the 2018 Annual Conference of the African Real Estate Society in Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Nigeria’s most prominent real estate markets are Lagos and Abuja. Between the years 2011 to 2015 saw unusually steep prices and pronounced vacancies in Abuja’s high-end residential segment compared to Lagos’. This discrepancy suggests market differences which are deserving of investigation. This paper, therefore, comparatively examines these two markets by exploring the economic concepts of price and value which sustain the market system. The data was sourced by a questionnaire administered to estate surveyors and valuers as well as the asking prices from property archives. The main finding of this paper is that Abuja’s prices and rents significantly exceed Lagos’ despite it being a less economically productive city. One can conclude that the Lagos market is more resilient while Abuja’s buoyancy is more apparent than real.

The efficient harnessing of land resources remains key to unlocking the potential of economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Land administration systems provide a veritable platform for coordinating the efforts aimed at maximising the overall value of a country’s land resources. Extant studies, however, provide scanty and unorganised insight into the problems and benefits of the formal and informal land administration systems co-existing in Nigeria and how they affect physical development on land. Using a cross-sectional survey, this study investigated the benefits and problems of formal and informal land administration systems in Epe, Lagos, and ascertained the relationship between the level of land development and land occupants’ type of occupancy (which may be formal or informal). A major problem of the formal land administration system is that to be allocated land; one needs to know a government official, while its key benefit is that anyone can be allocated land anywhere irrespective of their state of origin. Under the informal land administration system, the main problem is that additional “settlement(s)” are required before one can build on the land, while its key benefit is that one purchases land in the place of one’s choice. Using logistic regression analysis, it was observed that the level of development of land is independent of the type of occupancy held by the occupant. The study concludes that formal land administration system does not necessarily lead to higher land development than informal land administration. Future land formalisation policies should seek to optimise the merits and minimise the challenges of the two systems of land administration.

Market value is the most common compensation basis for expropriation of both private and customary property rights. Private property rights are generally exchangeable while customary property rights are conceptually not as exchangeable. It is hence critical to analyse the applicability of current compensation theories, which are founded on private property rights, to different property rights and in different social settings. By using existing literature and empirical evidence from Africa and other countries where customary property rights dominate, this paper undertakes a theoretical analysis of the applicability of existing compensation theories and the methodologies used to achieve the desired compensation goals. The analysis concludes that whilst current compensation theories are broadly applicable to customary property rights as they aim to protect property rights and prevent expropriatees from impoverishment, various ontological and methodological factors limit the realisation of these goals in settings dominated by customary properties. Such factors include ontology and dominance of customary property rights, use of market value as a compensation basis, and capacity of compensation assessors. Broadly, these factors lead to inadequate compensation and impoverishment of affected people.

House burglary is a prevailing issue in Nigeria owing to the inefficiency of formal security institutions in dealing with incidences of urban household burglary. This study examines households and neighbourhoods’ responses to household burglary in Ibadan, Nigeria. In-depth interviews and household questionnaires were the primary data collection tools. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted while a multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 299 respondents. Analysis of Variance confirmed the research hypothesis which suggested that burglary crimes committed differ significantly among residential neighbourhoods (F=3.012). Burglary occurred mostly in houses that were accessed through footpaths. Furthermore, females reported witnessing burglaries more than males. Neighbourhood responses to burglary include the use of gates, private security outfits and local vigilante groups. Individual households relied on burglary proof windows and door; broken bottles and wire fencing for protection. The intensity of crime in suburban areas impacts residential relocation and property values. Neighbourhood planning and good housing design remain other means through which easy accessibility by burglars can be prevented.

The imperfections associated with housing markets have often been the basis for government intervention policies. The purpose of this article is to show the need for governmental responsiveness regarding local realities in structuring policies in specific sectors of the housing market. It shows how government intervention contributes to housing supply and the consequences of this in developed and developing countries. Conversely, it also explores how government intervention in co-operative societies has been utilised in various countries to address housing supply inelasticity, the outcome of this, and lessons that can be learnt. This study takes the form of a literature review and a quantitative survey of co-operative societies in Lagos, Nigeria. Its analysis is based on multivariate techniques. The quantitative survey is utilised to show a specific case of government inactivity in the co-operative housing sector, while the literature review is utilised to showcase government intervention in co-operative housing in four countries. The study argues that while government interventions (by way of planning regulations) often leads to house-price increases and unaffordability in developed countries, it has contributed to the emergence of informal settlements in several African cities.

Additionally, while co-operative societies have been historically recognised to reduce inelasticity, improve supply and affordability in developed countries, they have yet to be recognised and supported in African cities like Lagos. It is concluded that while housing affordability is a dilemma that faces both developed and African countries, informality arises as a uniquely developing country response to unaffordability. It is recommended that, learning from history, African governments should recognise and integrate co-operative societies into their housing supply system. Furthermore, governments should implement appropriate policies to guide their activities towards reducing supply inelasticity, increasing affordability and the reduction of ever-expanding informal communities.

Environmental valuation techniques have been used in quantifying the influences of environmental amenities on house prices. The hedonic approach is used to evaluate contributions of environmental amenities to rents in this study. Though the theme of this study has attracted pedagogical attention, the comparison between man-made and natural environmental amenities in housing values is a nouvelle approach in identifying and explaining effective demand and value systems of urban and natural amenities through market evidence. It extends existing body of literature on hedonic studies in Nigeria by contextually assessing these two broad categories of environmental amenities on the same scale. Results reveal the variations in demand and significance of physical infrastructure and natural amenities in rents. This /study's significance lies in bringing to light, the realities of market demand for natural amenities in comparison with physical infrastructure.

Real estate education across the globe has, at its core, certain universal and value-neutral skills and knowledge. This knowledge has developed over decades to reflect the functions of specific market structures which characterise real estate markets. Moreover, it is reflective of the maturity of real estate markets, and as such, the tools developed reflect specific market structures. Real estate analysts are becoming increasingly interested in real estate markets in emerging economies. The challenge facing these analysts is that the dominant real estate theory is based on mature markets within an industrialised context and therefore do not accurately reflect real estate markets in emerging economies. The generic context of real estate markets in emerging economies tends to be characterised by a dual economy, a lack of transparency in the markets, high levels of uncertainty and the existence of communal/customary and informal rights in the ownership of real estate. Hence, this study examines the real estate academic syllabus taught by universities in Sub-Saharan Africa. In doing so this ongoing research aims to assess and understand the differences that exist between the real estate programmes and examine the direction that these programmes could take in an emerging country context.

This study examines the effects of adopting technological innovations on the social well-being of facilities management professionals. The paper takes the form of an in-depth literature review of peer-reviewed publications focused on the primary constructs of the study, namely: technological innovations in facilities management; the role of facilities management professionals; and, social sustainability in facilities management. The study found that the adoption of innovative technology has significant positive outcomes in the facilities management profession, but negatively affects the social well-being of the facilities management professionals. This paper provides the basis for the development of a social sustainability framework for the analysis of the impact of technological innovation on facilities management professionals. Further empirical study is needed to verify the findings. This review will sensitise facilities managers as it illustrates the impact of technological innovation beyond improved efficiency and service delivery by considering the facilities management profession as a whole.