Adekunle Awolaja: I Want a Sustainable AfRES With Physical Base in Nigeria

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September 4, 2025
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Adekunle Awolaja, an Estate Surveyor and President of the African Real Estate Society (AfRES), tells Bennett Oghifo how AfRES evolved in West Africa and his efforts to ensure its spread across the sub region, particularly to the French-Speaking countries. He desires a sustainable AfRES and for it to have a physical base in Nigeria. He also speaks on AfRES’ conference coming up in Lagos this month

Tell us about the evolution of AfRES

The African Real Estate Society (AfRES) was founded in 1997 as part of the International Real Estate Society (IRES). AfRES is one of six sister societies within IRES. In North America, there is the American Real Estate Society (ARES); in South America, the Latin American Real Estate Society (LARES); in Europe, the European Real Estate Society (ERES); in Asia, the Asian Real Estate Society (AsRES); and in the Pacific region, covering Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and neighboring areas, there is the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society (PRRES). Together, these six societies make up a global network dedicated to advancing real estate knowledge. AfRES held its first annual conference in 1998 in Maputo, Mozambique. The drive to bring AfRES to Africa was led by Prof. Karl-Werner Schulte, a German academic, who had long been part of the International and European Real Estate Societies. He recognised the importance of Africa having its own platform within the global network, and his efforts laid the foundation for AfRES. In the early years, the society was dominated by Southern and Eastern Africa. West Africa became more involved later, largely through the efforts of the late ESV Akin Olawore, a Nigerian professional and mentor to many. After attending the 2006 AfRES conference in Tanzania, he returned home determined to ensure Nigerian participation. In 2007, we went to Ghana with the collaboration of the national body of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV). The Lagos State branch of NIESV went to explore Ghana to see if they could join us. Olawore had mobilised colleagues and reached out to Ghana, leading to strong representation from West Africa. At the AfRES conference in South Africa in 2008, Nigeria brought not less than 70 delegates while Ghana contributed 28. That was when the West African chapter of AfRES became fully established. In 2009, Nigeria hosted its first AfRES conference at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos. Since then, the conferences have rotated among Eastern, Western, and Southern Africa. Over time, AfRES has grown into a continental platform for knowledge exchange and professional development. I became the President of AfRES in 2023, and before then I was the Chair of AfRES Nigeria in 2009, the Vice-Chair of West Africa in 2010. I have also chaired several conferences, including the 2018 conference in Abeokuta. We’ve rotated the AfRES conference among the three chapters. After Abeokuta we went to Arusha, Tanzania. We will hold the next conference this year (September) in Lagos. My focus throughout my tenure has been on expanding the society’s reach, strengthening regional collaboration, and deepening the link between academics and practitioners.

What are the objectives of AfRES?

The aim of AfRES, like its sister societies, is to promote real estate research, education, and professional networking. It was originally established by academics but has grown to include developers, investors, practitioners, policymakers, and professionals in every area of real estate. From inception, the vision has been to connect the “Gown and Town” – ensuring that research findings can be applied directly to real estate practice and policy development. AfRES has also built strong professional ties with institutions across the continent. We regularly organise activities that fulfill the society’s three pillars – education, research, and practice. For education, we have partnered with universities like Covenant University in Nigeria and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana to host real estate summits and seminars. For research, we have encouraged collaborative projects and academic exchanges. For practice, AfRES often participates in professional conferences organised by national institutions such as the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) and the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS). I have personally attended the Ghana Institution of Surveyors’ annual conference several times – in 2022, 2023, and 2024 – continuing a tradition of mutual exchange that has existed for years. The late Mr. Eseogheva also ensured that Ghanaian colleagues, including leaders like Emmanuel Martey, who is both a traditional king and a past president of GhIS, were regular participants in AfRES conferences in Nigeria. He attended our gatherings in Ibadan (2016), Abuja (2017), and Lagos (2019), strengthening the ties between our two countries. Through these collaborations, AfRES has remained faithful to its mandate: promoting real estate education, fostering impactful research, and creating opportunities for practitioners to network and grow. Even though COVID-19 disrupted some of these efforts, we quickly resumed activities afterward and have continued to expand our programmes.

What has been your contribution so far to AfRES?

What I have tried to do is to expand the frontiers of AfRES beyond what we have. One of my greatest achievements has been the Francophone Project, where we thought of having an incursion into the Francophone countries of West Africa. We also had a thought of having incursion into the Portuguese-speaking countries- six of them. First of all are the French-speaking countries. They are the majority. For a long time, AfRES was dominated by English-speaking countries, even though much of West Africa is French-speaking. After years of planning, I was able to launch AfRES Francophone in Dakar, Senegal on May 30, 2023. The Mayor of Thies was a Surveyor. The conference brought together delegates from Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Mauritania, and Guinea. Any conference that we have now, we will be having the French and English-speaking countries. This was a historic moment because it gave French-speaking Africa an active voice in AfRES. Eventually, AfRES will be known in all of Africa. We have made incursion into the Caribbean and we’ve AfRES in diaspora for African real estate practitioners in the diaspora.

What would you like to see AfRES achieve in the future?

I want a sustainable AfRES. I want AfRES to have a physical base in Nigeria. My dream is to have an African Real Estate Academy that will train, research and have a lot of knowledge-based solutions so that the Town and Gown will be mixed in a physical environment. Looking to the future, my dream is to establish an AfRES Academy – a physical institution in Nigeria that would serve as a hub for training, research, PropTech innovation, and practical real estate development. It would be a residential campus where the academic world and the professional industry meet, combining education, training, accommodation, and research facilities under one roof. Alongside this, I envision an AfRES Foundation, which would raise funds to support real estate research, practice, and professional development across Africa.

What challenges did your team overcome?

Of course, the journey has not been without challenges. Many colleagues have misunderstood AfRES, assuming it is only for academics, whereas it is open to all professionals. Some even questioned why I remained so committed, but my passion has always driven me. AfRES Nigeria was officially registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2013, and it belongs to all who are interested in advancing the real estate profession. Despite difficulties, I believe that with persistence and God’s grace, AfRES has continued to grow and will keep expanding across the continent.

What rating would you give AfRES as you step down as president

Our next major milestone is the 2025 AfRES Annual Conference, which will be hosted in Lagos from September 9–12, 2025, at the Oriental Hotel. This conference will gather delegates from across Africa and beyond, showcasing the growth of AfRES and the strength of Africa’s real estate sector. It will also mark the end of my tenure as president, but I step down confident that the society is stronger, broader, and more inclusive than ever before.

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PDP Govs Reclaim Control as Party Zones 21 Offices

*North-west to produce national chairman, South-west gets national secretary

*Zoning committee extends deadlines for submission of forms, screening of aspirants
*Fresh crisis looms as Damagum, Anyanwu write conflicting letters to INEC on state congresses

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

As the November 16, 2025, National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scheduled for Ibadan, Oyo State capital, approaches, the governors elected on the party’s platform may have reclaimed their influence and outwitted other stakeholders in the zoning of the party’s offices, THISDAY investigation has revealed.

This is just as the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) of the party has extended the deadlines for the submission of completed Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, as well as the screening of aspirants contesting for offices in the November Elective National Convention of the party.

However, a fresh crisis is brewing in the main opposition party as the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and the National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, have issued conflicting notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding the conduct of state congresses in three states.
THISDAY gathered that in the zoning arrangement for 21 offices, backed by the governors, the office of the National Chairman of the PDP was zoned to the North-west, foreclosing the chances of former Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State from clinching the position.

Ortom belongs to the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, which has been clamouring for the position to be retained in the North-central, where the former National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, and Ortom hail from.
By pushing for the position to be retained in the North-central, Wike’s camp, it was learnt, was clearing the coast for Ortom to emerge as the next national chairman of the main opposition party in the November convention.

Investigation revealed that in their bid to outwit the FCT minister’s Integrity Group, the party’s governors and the Ambassador Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) pushed the office of the National Chairman to the North-west and the Deputy National Chairman to Ortom’s North-central zone, foreclosing the chances of the former Benue State governor.

With the zoning of the office of the Deputy National chairman of the party to North-central, Ortom is out of the chairmanship race.
In the North-west, the PDP governors are said to be pushing for the emergence of either the former governor of Kano State, Senator Ibrahim Shekarau or the former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, who is currently the Secretary of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party.

Under the new zoning arrangement, the office of the National Secretary is zoned to the South-west, while the office of the National Organising Secretary, the engine house of the party in all electoral matters, is zoned to the North-east.
According to the comprehensive list sighted by THISDAY, the positions of the National Chairman, Deputy National Auditor, and the National Legal Adviser are micro-zoned to the North-west.

The influential position of National Legal Adviser was previously held by the North-central geopolitical zone.
In the approved list, the positions of Deputy National Chairman (North), National Treasurer, Deputy National Financial Secretary, and Deputy National Women’s Leader are zoned to the North-central.
The North-east is allocated the positions of the National Organising Secretary, National Youth Leader, and Deputy National Publicity Secretary.

The party also assigned the positions of the Deputy National Secretary, National Financial Secretary, National Women Leader, and Deputy National Youth Leader to the South-east.
The party also assigned the positions of the Deputy National Chairman (South), National Publicity Secretary, Deputy National Treasurer, and the Deputy National Legal Adviser to the South-south, while the positions of the National Secretary, National Auditor, and Deputy National Organising Secretary were zoned to the South-west.
However, the zoning arrangement is subject to approval at the party’s National Convention.

Zoning Committee Extends Deadlines for Submission of Forms, Screening of Aspirants
Meanwhile, the zoning committee of the party has extended the deadlines for the submission of completed Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms by the aspirants contesting for offices from the earlier scheduled date of Friday, September 26th, 2025.
In the same vein, the NCOC has also approved the shifting of the date for the screening of aspirants from the earlier scheduled date of Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the party and Secretary of the Sub-Committee of NCOC, Debo Ologunagba, the party said that the extension was necessitated by the need to ensure all necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the exercise.
He said that new dates would be communicated in due course, and urged all the aspirants to note the extension and be guided accordingly.

Fresh Crisis Looms as Damagum, Anyanwu Write Conflicting Letters to INEC on State Congresses
In another development, a fresh crisis is brewing in the main opposition party as the National Chairman, Damagum, and the National Secretary, Anyanwu, have issued conflicting notices to the INEC regarding the conduct of state congresses in three states.
In a letter dated September 25, 2025, sighted by THISDAY, Damagum informed INEC that the party’s scheduled congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi states — earlier fixed for Saturday, September 27, 2025 — had been postponed due to “unforeseen circumstances and operational logistic challenges.”

In the letter, Damagum stated that a new date for the exercise would be communicated to the electoral body in due course.
“The National Working Committee of our great party hereby postpones the state congresses in Cross River, Plateau, and Kebbi states. A new date will be communicated to the Commission,” the letter read in part.
However, barely 24 hours later, PDP National Secretary, Anyanwu, wrote a counter-letter to INEC dated September 26, insisting that the congresses would proceed as originally scheduled.

“This is to confirm to the commission that the congress will hold as originally scheduled and has not been postponed. The earlier letter signed by the National Chairman should be ignored,” Anyanwu stated.
He further warned that any communication sent to INEC without the signatures of both the National Chairman and National Secretary should not be recognised, stressing that the exercise in the three states “shall hold as earlier scheduled.”
Anyanwu confirmed to THISDAY that he wrote the said letter to INEC, explaining that the National chairman cannot write to INEC without him counter-signing.

The PDP has been grappling with leadership crises, as rival factions and party organs continue to clash over control and decision-making ahead of its elective congress and the 2027 general election.
Both the national chairman and national secretary belong to different camps in the PDP.
Damagum-led NWC is working closely with the PDP governors, while Anyanwu belongs to Wike’s camp.

*North-west to produce national chairman, South-west gets national secretary *Zoning committee extends deadlines for submission of forms, screening of aspirants*Fresh crisis looms as Damagum, Anyanwu write conflicting letters to INEC

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September 28, 2025
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At UNGA 80, Shettima Warns against External Interference, Presence of Foreign Military in Africa

*Demands withdrawal of foreign troops from African soil

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that external interference in crises on the African continent, including the presence of foreign military forces, mercenaries, and defence contractors in some member states of the African Union (AU), negates the spirit of African common defence and security policy.

The vice-president, who demanded the withdrawal of foreign troops from African soil, also advised the AU to reinvigorate diplomacy as the primary and most effective means of conflict resolution on the African continent.
Speaking while representing President Bola Tinubu at a meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Governments held on the margins of the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, United States, Shettima argued that meddling in crises on the continent is contrary to the African Conflict Prevention and Resolution Initiatives.

Shettima noted that with the current UN administration and growing interest by traditional partners in conflicts outside the African continent, it was becoming increasingly difficult for countries to shoulder the total cost of peace support operations on the continent.
He said, “Our continent must continue to maintain a diplomatic approach in its conflict prevention and resolution endeavours. Against this backdrop, we urge the Council to ensure that the concept of future peace operations, particularly those mandated by the UN, includes diplomatic and political strategies that ultimately address the root causes of conflict.

“We also urge the Council to ensure that the existing strategies for future AU PSOs include elements that would ensure that national and local institutions can effectively anticipate and manage shocks and relax tensions.”
The vice president said this is the only way the continent’s peace support operations can leave behind resilient and self-sustaining peace infrastructure wherever they find themselves.

“We further wish to underscore the current practice of proliferation of numerous peace initiatives on our continent, which counter AU’s prevention and resolution processes,” he added.
He called on the council to consider adopting a communique to address the loopholes in conflict resolution.
Shettima urged the council to consider the call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of foreign forces from member countries.

He also told the council, “To expeditiously address obstacles to the operationalisation of the African Standby Force as well as adopt a strategy for the deployment of the African Standby Force in situations of conflict on the continent.”
He acknowledged the role played by the AU’s Peace Support Operations (PSOs), a unit designed to maintain, monitor, and build peace in Africa through peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions.

He noted, however, that the operation comes at a huge financial cost.
Earlier, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union, Mr. Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, decried the surge in armed conflicts and dwindling funding for peace interventions on the continent.

He urged the member-countries to establish their own national peacebuilding and conflict prevention mechanisms.
“Prevention, indeed, must start at home and must be consistent with the United Nations Charter. Regional organisations such as the African Union, of course, regional economic commissions and regional mechanisms have a key role to play in this regard,” Onanga-Anyanga noted.

In a related development, the Vice President has identified education as the public investment with the highest returns, saying every additional year in school increases lifetime earnings and reduces the risks of fragility and conflict.
He stated this during a high-level event organised by the Permanent Missions of Italy and Nigeria, along with Global Partnership for Education (GPE), on the margins of the ongoing 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States.
The event was hosted to discuss the opportunities that investing in quality education presents to the world.

Shettima noted that well-targeted education financing addresses the root causes of instability, extreme poverty, and youth unemployment, noting that GPE multiplies impact through financing, policy support, and targeted incentives.
According to the Vice President, GPE mobilises domestic resources and co-financing, multiplying the impact of every dollar invested, just as GPE’s multiplier and co-financing mechanisms have unlocked billions in funding beyond GPE’s grants.

His words: “GPE has a record of mobilising partners and delivering results at scale. Over recent years, the partnership has approved and disbursed significant grant volumes and leveraged innovative financing to reach millions of children.
“In 2024 alone, GPE approved over $1.2 billion in new grants and mobilised more than $1.5 billion in co-financing – evidence that the partnership’s model works when it is funded and prioritised.

“It is important to acknowledge that GPE cannot fulfil its mission without predictable and adequate replenishment. In the 2021-2025 cycle, GPE raised approximately $4.2 billion, a significant achievement, yet still short of what is needed to fully transform education.”
Shettima said Nigeria is expanding early childhood access, improving teacher training, and investing in marginalised regions.

“A notable GPE grant in Nigeria is helping us to integrate religious school children into mainstream education and train teachers across states, especially to support girls’ education,” he pointed out.
The Vice President urged donors to safeguard and increase official development assistance for basic education, prioritise flexible, predictable funding to strengthen systems, and support targeted initiatives such as girls’ education accelerators that deliver significant social returns.

*Demands withdrawal of foreign troops from African soil Deji Elumoye in Abuja Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that external interference in crises on the African continent, including the presence