Nigeria, other leaders in global FIABCI talks

Last month, the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung welcomed the 41st FIABCI Global Leadership Summit, one of the International Real Estate Federation’s most important yearly events to exchange information, best practices, and business opportunities in the industry.

About 500 participants, including international delegates, FIABCI-Taiwan members, local partners and world-class speakers, flocked to the Grand Hi-Lai Hotel in Kaohsiung to attend the first in-person Leadership Summit since December 2019.

The last FIABCI event held in Taiwan was the 2013 World Real Estate Congress in Taichung on the subject of “Innovation in Sustainable Development”.

FIABCI Nigeria delegation was led by its President; Gladstone Opara, who paid a courtesy visit to the Head, Nigeria’s Trade Mission in Taiwan; Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed in the Taipei office.

The FIABCI Nigeria delegates include; President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Mr. Johnbull Amayaevbo, FIABCI Nigeria Vice President, Akinola Opatola, Adewale Ajibade, Adelani Adewuyi, Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed and Akano Olaposi.

Under the theme ‘Better Lives with Green Recovery’, this year’s event programme included high-level presentations and panel discussions featuring local government officials, such as the Mayor of Kaohsiung, Chen Chi-Mai, and the Deputy Mayor of Kaohsiung, Charles Lin, as well as renowned architects and professors, lawyers, and property managers, to name a few.

The four-day conferences, catered to a large audience with a diverse background within the industry, with topics ranging from energy transition to circular design, but with a common focus on the role of real estate professionals as a catalyst for major contemporary changes in human lives.

Additionally, a dynamic workshop on the central theme of the summit delivered by an international real estate investment expert, Kateryna Pylypchuk, focused on the main trends and visions, as well as lessons learned from each country representative towards a green recovery.

Participants were divided into different groups, outlining their priorities for the implementation of the proposed trends and visions: mindset, climate control systems, zero CO2 emission technologies, finance, and government relations.

In addition to a rich and diverse conference programme, the summit also involved study tours to a few of Kaohsiung’s landmarks such as the Kaohsiung Music Centre and the Kaohsiung Circular Light Rail, providing attendees with the chance to explore the city, as well as learn more about its history and architecture.

By night, convivial social events took place, celebrating not only the Taiwanese culture but also that of the many different nationalities of the participants.

For the first time, in the context of FIABCI’s partnership with Architect Jacques Rougerie’s Foundation – Space and Sea Generation, the Global Leadership Summit hosted the 2022 Jacques Rougerie International Architecture and Innovation Competition, where the winners of the different categories – “Architecture and Innovation for the Space”, “Architecture and Innovation for the Sea”, and “Architecture and Innovation related to the Rise of the Oceans” – were announced.

Since 2011, the competition has received over 11 000 applications, with 150 nationalities from five different continents. This year, a total of 666 participants entered the competition, resulting in 28 nominees.