A Historic First: FIABCI Brings the World Congress to Africa

Jun 20, 2025 Latest News

The 75th FIABCI World Real Estate Congress took place from June 9 to 13, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, marking a historic milestone as the first-ever FIABCI World Congress held on the African continent. The event brought together members, leaders, partners, and stakeholders from around the world to exchange knowledge, advance strategic initiatives, and shape the future of our global real estate community.

Event Highlights

Professional Conference Program

The Congress featured a robust and high-level program that convened global real estate leaders, policymakers, institutional representatives, and private sector actors to explore the strategic challenges and opportunities shaping the future of real estate and urban development, both locally and internationally.

The event opened with a formal welcome address on behalf of His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, delivered by the Honourable Minister of Defence. The message emphasized Nigeria’s dedication to urban development, housing reform, and international investment cooperation, reinforcing the alignment between Nigeria’s national development goals and FIABCI’s global mission.

A major highlight of the conference was the keynote address by His Excellency Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President of Nigeria. His address powerfully resonated with both public and private sector participants and focused on:

The transformative potential of real estate in African economies
The importance of regulatory stability, cross-border investment, and infrastructure modernization
A call for regional collaboration and capacity-building through public-private partnerships and multidisciplinary organizations like FIABCI

The program also included:

A high-level ministerial panel on policy harmonization, land tenure systems, and sustainable housing delivery
Technical sessions and roundtables on:
- ESG integration and investment strategies
- PropTech and digital innovation in global real estate
- Models for affordable housing and urban regeneration
- Cross-border financing tools and international joint ventures

Strengthening FIABCI’s Presence in Eastern Africa

A landmark outcome of the Congress was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between FIABCI and the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development of the Republic of Uganda to establish the FIABCI-East Africa Multinational Chapter. This new chapter will include the following countries (in alphabetical order): Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

This initiative represents a significant step toward regional integration, the promotion of shared professional standards, and the expansion of FIABCI’s global reach across Eastern Africa.

FIABCI World Prix d'Excellence Awards

A major highlight of the Congress was the FIABCI World Prix d'Excellence Awards Ceremony & Gala Dinner, held at the magnificent Lagos Oriental Hotel. This prestigious celebration honored exceptional achievements in real estate development across the globe.

Read the full list of the 2025 winners [here].

Farewell Dinner & Leadership Installation Ceremony

At the Farewell Dinner, Antonio Campagnoli was officially installed as FIABCI World President 2025–2026, along with the newly elected FIABCI Board of Directors. In keeping with tradition, Ramón Riera received the Past President Medal, assuming the title of Immediate Past World President.

Following the electronic election process conducted via Lumi Technologies, under the supervision of the Nominations Committee and official scrutineers, the following appointments were confirmed:

Lily Chang – World President-Elect
Kee Su Yu – Vice President 2025–2026
Matthias Gass – Finance Committee President 2025–2026
Reem Al Harbi – 1st Vice President, Conference Committee

Looking Ahead: Vienna, Austria

As the FIABCI flag was formally handed over to the Austrian Chapter, represented by David Steiner, it was officially announced that Vienna, Austria will host the 76th FIABCI World Real Estate Congress in 2026.