Exhibitors jostle for space as Osinbajo speaks on Buhari housing agenda at AHS

As over 100 housing products exhibitors jostle for space at the forth-coming Abuja Housing Show (AHS), all eyes are on the show as Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s vice president-elect, will be giving a keynote speech on the housing agenda of the incoming Muhammadu Buhari government.

Close housing industry watchers who are curious over the All Progressives Congress (APC) housing programme, which promises 1 million housing units yearly, have been waiting for an opportunity like this AHS where explanation might be given on how that programme would be implemented and for who.

AHS, already in its ninth edition, is touted as the largest home expo in Nigeria that gathers together housing industry professionals, building materials manufacturers, scholars and students all over the world and this year’s edition has been slated for July 6 – 8 in Abuja.

FESADEB Communication Limited, organiser of the show, assures that this year’s edition would be unique, explaining that asides the products exhibitions, there will also be corporate presentation and a stakeholders conference with the theme, ‘Affordable Housing Delivery: Financing, Building Technology, and Land Issues in Nigeria.’

In a statement obtained by BusinessDay, Festus Adebayo, the CEO of FASEDEB Communications Limited, said this year’s event was unique because of the change in government at the federal level in Nigeria and the need for the new government to put housing as one of its major priorities.

“Abuja Housing Show is a unique one stop-shop for real estate stakeholders presenting new products, innovative services and technology,” he said, disclosing that many experts from local and international organizations had been invited as guest speakers among whom are Charles Inyangete, MD/CEO, Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC).

Others are Sam Ordia, the director, Fuller’s Housing Foundation; Gimba Kumo Yau, MD/CEO, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN); Richard Grabowski of IADDIC Shelters, South Africa; Al-Amin, MD/CEO, Federal Housing Authority (FHA); Ugochukwu Chime, president, REDAN, among others.

Adebayo described AHS as “the ideal place for networking, meeting face-to-face visitors who have a buying capacity and selling deals” adding that, over the years, AHS has been able to generate not only high quality audience and sale for exhibitors but also great bargains for participants”.

He listed companies that have also shown interest in this year’s show as AFP Furniture, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Chicason Group, GoodHome Development Company Limited, Luxury Roofing, Plusworld Roofing, Voda Paint, Platinum Mortgage Bank, Pyramid Estate, Therma Surface Limited, Nigeria Pipes Limited, Window Story, and Alpha- Plus Furniture etc

Others are Urban Shelter, Federal Ministry of Housing, Nigerite, Sunflex Blinds, Dangote Cement, Yobe State Housing Development Company Limited, Abuja Property Development Limited, Abuja Property Investment Company, FCT Development Control, Lekki Gardens, UPDC, Berger Paints, among others.

 

CHUKA UROKO