COMMERCIAL property development seems to be surging ahead in many African markets, defying the commodity price slump and currency crises, writes DIANNA GAMES.

Speakers at last week’s Africa Property Investment Summit in Johannesburg suggested that concerns about lower commodity prices, China’s slowdown and the currency turbulence in many of the continent’s key economies have not seriously dented long-term plans for large development projects in countries such as Mauritius, Mozambique, Zambia, Nigeria and others.

The property market provides a barometer for the economic fortunes of a country. The growth of shopping malls and mixed-use developments, as well as associated infrastructure such as warehousing in Africa over the past few years, shows the confidence funders, developers and tenants have in the future of many economies. Read more ... 

- Published in Business Day SA, 31 August 2015.