NAIROBI, Kenya, May 8 – The 2025 East Africa Property Investment (EAPI) Summit opened Wednesday in Nairobi with renewed focus on real estate financing, regional economic recovery, and geopolitical shifts shaping investor sentiment.
Held under the theme “Positioning for Opportunity”, the two-day summit has brought together over 450 investors, developers, and policy experts to explore the outlook for sectors including commercial property, retail, hospitality, logistics, and affordable housing.
This year’s edition is supported by lead sponsors Absa and Africa Logistics Properties (ALP), both of which emphasized the need for practical solutions in navigating persistent challenges such as high interest rates, regulatory uncertainty, and infrastructure deficits.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Sandile Mpanza, Absa’s Head of Commercial Property Finance for Africa, said the lender is monitoring how market volatility is reshaping financing needs.
“We’re seeing a shift in developer behavior – capital is more cautious, and projects must be viable on shorter timelines,” Mpanza noted.
Analysts at the summit highlighted East Africa’s real estate potential amid signs of political stabilization in countries like Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda.
However, concerns linger over the impact of U.S. trade tariffs, inflationary pressures, and the reluctance of pension funds to increase infrastructure allocations.
“There’s appetite from institutional investors, but policy signals need to be clearer,” said a fund manager attending the summit.
“Without certainty on tax, land use, and returns, capital will sit on the sidelines.”
Raghav Gandhi, CEO of ALP, stressed the need for better collaboration across public and private sectors.
“Summits like EAPI give industry stakeholders a rare opportunity to interrogate what’s working and what’s not,” he said.
“We need to move past platitudes and get into specifics about costs, approvals, and realistic timeframes.”
ALP, which develops logistics hubs in Kenya and the region, is among companies pushing for reforms to reduce delays and ease the cost of doing business.
It operates under UK governance standards and works with multinational tenants.
Despite headwinds, the summit comes amid cautious optimism that a growing urban population, infrastructure upgrades, and policy reforms could spur new investment cycles.
Affordable housing remains a focal point, though experts warned against overreliance on public-private partnerships without deeper reforms in land and finance.
