Senamiso Ndlovu, 32, is a smallholder farmer with big food production dreams. The seed of her farming ambitions is the growing urban food demand. She has ramped up production of green peppers, butternut squash, tomatoes and cucumbers to meet growing demand for fresh produce in Bulawayo, a sprawling city in Zimbabwe.ByBusani Bafana
Africa has the largest workforce in the world. A recent report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) titled 2020 Policy Note on Africa: The Future of Production indicated that the continent will, by 2030, be home to a capable labour force of over 1.6 billion, larger than Asia and South America.
Professor of Plant Breeding Maryke Labuschagne is working with a group of more than 20 African PhD students and postdoctoral fellows to improve the nutritional status of poor rural communities on the continent. Labuschagne is works within the University of the Free State's (UFS) Department of Plant Sciences and is also heading the NRF-SARChI chair in disease resistance and quality in field crops.
Broll hosted its inaugural webinar late last month themed Africa 2020: A new vision. The discussion focused on strategies and solutions that can be employed during the recovery phase of the Covid-19 crisis, and the emerging new business environment in Africa.
A common thread in the conversation was that Covid-19 will not define the property market’s future, but rather will shape the direction and speed of progress in pursuing the African development agenda.
Malcolm Horne, group CEO of the Broll Property Group, emphasised during the webinar that Africa needs to continue on its development path to ensure not just sustainability of businesses and investment, but also for the benefit of the people of Africa. “We need to think differently, collaborate more and deeper, and improve on all our liaisons and partnerships, public and private, so that we can explore solutions that are specific to Africa’s needs."
Other speakers included:
Jess Cleland, group MD, East Africa and Indian Ocean
Nkuli Bogopa, MD of Investor Services, Broll South Africa
Jose Castilho, MD, Broll Mozambique
Moses Lutalo, MD, Broll Uganda
Sonja de Necker, divisional director, Broll Zambia
Gavin Cox, group MD, Broll West Africa and Namibia
Vivian Ombwayo, head of research and valuation, Broll Kenya
Bolaji Edu, CEO, Broll Nigeria
Terence Makari, MD, Broll Namibia
“Property services today are now defining themselves in new non-traditional areas. Look at the valuation and advisory business for example, where we are seeing the rise of expert skills, and responding to the need for advisory services in troubled times like these," pointed out Horne.
“So, on the one hand you have the traditional services that are really pulling together, and on the other we are seeing much more long-term solutioning available. This is what is going to expand the ambit of what a traditional property services company will be in the future.”
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