In its steady ascent from a regional gathering to a globally recognised platform, the Africa International Housing Show (AIHS) has transformed into a dynamic engine of change shaping housing policy, catalyzing economic growth, and fostering innovation across continents. Tracking its evolution over the years reveals a journey defined by expanding scope, deepening influence, and tangible outcomes for individuals, communities and businesses alike.
One of AIHS’s most defining hallmarks is the enormous economic surge it consistently generates. Over the past 19 years, the Show has attracted billions of dollars in investments, driving deals that span housing projects, development financing, and private equity across Africa’s real estate landscape. In Nigerian currency, the event’s transactions now total more than ₦500 billion, testifying to its unmatched commercial clout.
AIHS has also become a hub for inclusive economic opportunity. From printers and artisans to hospitality workers and logistic providers, countless individuals secure income during the event, while hundreds of SMEs, women-led enterprises, and youth startups showcase their innovations on an international stage. In essence, the Show acts as a vibrant ecosystem for entrepreneurship and skills development.
Attendance and scale have consistently surged. What began with modest gatherings has blossomed into an annual event drawing over 40,000 participants from more than 26 countries, with exhibitor numbers swelling to over 400, including a significant share of first-time participants. These attendees include vice presidents, governors, ministers, diplomats, financiers, real estate developers, professional bodies and technical innovators amongst others from every inhabited continent.
A defining stride in AIHS’s internationalisation came through its expansion of format and venue. What once took place in a relatively compact event centre evolved into multi-venue experiences at wider locations like International Conference Centre, Nigeria’s National Stadium and Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
The growth in scale and demand has prompted plans to hold the Show twice annually once within Nigeria and once in another African nation which would kick off soon starting with countries like Ghana, Rwanda, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya amongst others.
Beyond physical growth, AIHS has deepened its thematic depth. Each year, the Show explores pressing issues through expert-led sessions from housing finance, land policy, climate resilience, and affordable homeownership to technology-driven solutions like proptech, green building, and digitisation.
The 2023 edition, themed “Beyond Rhetoric to Homes: Making Housing Happen,” sparked the Abuja Declaration and saw international institutions like IFC, World Bank, AUHF, Shelter Afrique, and Kenya Mortgage Refinance Company galvanise commitment toward housing data and actionable implementation.
In 2024, AIHS broke attendance and participation records: over 30,000 delegates and visitors from more than 20 countries and more than 350 exhibitors, with floor space expanding by 15% compared to the prior year.
In 2025, AIHS built on this momentum with a global participation of about 40,000 participants from 26 countries, over 400 local and international exhibitors, and emerging financing frameworks like non-interest banking, diaspora investment connections, access to affordable mortgages and capital market instruments for housing.
Its policy influence continues to shine. Previous editions have engendered practical reforms such as national housing data centres, spurred by the Nigerian Ministry’s newly established Joint Steering Committee on housing data, a direct outcome of AIHS dialogues.
High-level endorsements further reinforce its influence: policymakers like Ghana’s housing ministers and parliamentarians, and Nigeria’s Senate and House committees have praised AIHS for shaping housing policy, advocating for revival of outdated laws and attracting investors.
AIHS is not only shifting paradigms, it’s pioneering global outreach through media and technology. The launch of Housing TV Africa (Channel 149 on StarTimes) and the Housing TV Africa mobile app have extended the Show beyond physical walls, connecting digital audiences to exhibitors, deal rooms, and live updates across the globe.
Through its multi-decade journey, AIHS has evolved into a global powerhouse: a venue where policy meets commerce, innovation meets impact, and vision meets visibility. It stands as a beacon demonstrating that Africa’s housing issues are not merely challenges but opportunities inviting global collaboration.
By: Prince Folorunsho Adegoke,
News Editor at Housing TV Africa.
