Few women investing in real estate Nigeria

Nigeria has one of the lowest number of women investing in real estate compared to other parts the world.

The statement was made by Professional women real estate practitioners at the first in the series of ‘The Lady Realtors’ training series held in Lagos on Tuesday, with the theme: ‘Demystifying real estate investment for women’.

The programme was organised by The Lady Realtors in association with the United States Consulate, Lagos.

According to the Chief Executive Officer, 3invest Limited, Ms. Ruth Obih, all a woman needs to invest in real estate is good counsel.

She added that there were several aspects of the industry that women could explore.

The Chief Executive Officer, ThistlePraxis Consulting Limited, Ms. Ini Onuk, said real estate was about the safest investment in the world but that the contribution of women, who make up more than 50 per cent of the country’s population, was inconsequential.

“Housing is one of the most leveraged investments available but lack of ambition has been the major reason why women don’t invest in real estate. Real estate is low on what women are purchasing,” she said.

The General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Royal Exchange Plc, Ms. Sheila Ezeuko, noted that women must overcome their fears and take advantage of the opportunities that abound in the real estate sector of the economy.

The founder of a personal finance blog, smartmoneyafrica.com, Ms. Arese Ugwu, said women needed to focus more on business opportunities in the industry.

The Chief Executive Officer, Assist-2-Sell Properties Limited, sponsors of the training series, Ms. Chukwunonso Ume-Ezeoke, said one of the major weaknesses of women was the lack of goals and self-confidence.

According to her, the concept of the training series, which will also be held in July and August, is to train as many women as possible and help them build capacity in real estate.

“The target is to train about 1,200 women in real estate both as a career and as business,” she added.

The Public Diplomacy Officer, US Consulate, Lagos, Ms. Rhonda Watson, said the focus was on helping women achieve financial independence and empowerment.

She said, “We felt it would be wise to focus on real estate because women investment in the sector is very low.

“Each month, there will be a focus on different aspects of real estate in the series because women do not have adequate knowledge of real estate transactions.”