Book on Real Estate Market in Ghana launched
A book authored by Dr Wilfred K. Anim-Odame, a former Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, titled: “The Real Estate Market in Ghana – An Emerging Market in Sub-Saharan Africa,” has been launched in Accra.
The 128-page book, which was published by Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, was launched by Odeneho Kwafo-Akoto III, the Akwamuhene, and dedicated to God by Reverend Joseph Afrifa-Agyekum, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Koforidua.
It seeks to fill the information gap on a key emerging real estate market and to demystify the perception that the market in Ghana was opaque.
Drawing on decades of experience in the real estate market, Dr Anim-Odame presents a detailed examination of the market in Ghana and its existing regulatory framework.
In so doing, he provides a justification for its relevance in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The book focuses on seven thematic areas: Land Administration, Legal Perspectives, Market Dynamics, Investment Potentials, Market Competitiveness, Valuation and Compensation.
Dr Anim-Odame has over 30 years of experience in the real estate industry and he is a technical advisor at the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).
He served as the Director of the Land Valuation Division, an analogous role of the Valuer-General from September 2010 to May 2012.
Thereafter, he was appointed the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission from 2012 and 2018.
During his tenure of office, he strategically transformed the Land Valuation Division and the Lands Commission, and championed the digitisation and automation of land services delivery.
Dr Anim-Odame said the book would be a useful resource for students, academia, practitioners, real estate developers, investors and professional advisors such as valuers, surveyors, lawyers, accountants, bankers, architects, planners and engineers.
He said an important feature was the way in which chapters were self-contained, and yet follow logically one from another.
He noted that with that approach, readers could choose a reading path appropriate to their own specific needs without a loss of continuity.
Dr Anim-Odame expressed gratitude to his wife, Mrs Evelyn Anim-Odame, for her great support in getting the book published.
He said he was sincerely indebted to Professor George Ofosu Armah, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, for his encouragement and support towards the publication of the book.
Other individuals he expressed gratitude to are: Mr Felix Owusu-Agyapong, a former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, and Madam Elizabeth Ohene, a former Minister of State for Tertiary Education.
Dr Maxwell Opoku-Afari, the First Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, who reviewed the book, in a speech read on his behalf, lauded Dr Anim-Odame for producing a manual that would help shape the real estate industry not only in Ghana but across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The launch was graced by members of the Pope John’s Senior High School and Seminary Old Boys’ Association (Pojoba) in solidarity with one of their own, Dr Anim-Odame.
Source: GNA