NSE to hosts maiden REITS conference

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) is to host the maiden edition of its Real Estate Investment (REIT) conference in Lagos on May 23.

NSE said in a statement in Lagos on Monday that the conference would have the theme: “Real Estate Investment Trust in sub-Sahara Africa: The role of The Capital Market.”

It said that the conference would bring together decision makers, policy-makers, government officials and private sector players, among others.

REITs are investment vehicles that can be traded on a stock exchange and are primarily involved in investing and owning income-generating real estate assets.

They allow both small and large investors to invest in portfolios of large-scale properties without actually having to go through the rigours of buying or financing property.

The NSE said that participants at the conference would share experiences and explore growth potential and opportunities inherent in the REITs market in Nigeria and Sub-Sahara Africa.

It said that interested participants could register online for this non-fee paying conference at http://www.nse.com.ng/NSE-REITs-Conference.

Mr Haruna Jalo-Waziri, NSE Executive Director, (Capital Markets), was quoted by the statement as saying that the REIT conference would be an important meeting of stakeholders under the current state of the real estate sector.

“One of our aims with the conference is to discuss tropical and regulatory issues affecting the REITs within the capital markets and real estate ecosystem as well as proffer strategic solutions for follow up implementation by The Exchange in its capital market advocacy role”, he said.

Jalo-Waziri said that “attendees at the conference would be apprised with the latest developments driving investment decisions in the real estate industry.”

The NSE said that the 2017 REITs conference would be sponsored by Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, FSDH Asset Management Limited, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), United Property Development Company (UPDC) and Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) Nigeria, among others.

It said that the conference would provide participants an opportunity to listen and engage key industry experts, key regulators, renowned international and local market operators and thought leaders in the real estate sector.