Africa: Real Estate and Construction

A piece of land can look like an excellent investment and still be legally unsuitable for the project you have in mind. In Nigeria, a buyer may discover after payment that the property is affected by government acquisition, a reservation, a proposed infrastructure corridor, competing claims or restrictions on its use. This is why checking the title alone is not enough. Before buying land in Nigeria, investors should establish who has the legal interest in the property, whether that interest can be transferred, whether the land is affected by government acquisition and whether it can legally be used for the proposed development.

Buying property in Nigeria is one of the most rewarding financial decisions you can make, but only if you carry out proper legal due diligence. Every year, thousands of Nigerians, Nigerians in the diaspora...

For generations, Nigerians have regarded land as the safest store of wealth. The prevailing investment philosophy has been remarkably simple: acquire land, hold it patiently, and allow appreciation to generate wealth over time. Across Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other commercial centres, countless families have followed precisely that strategy.

Real estate has traditionally been associated with physical property, paper-based documentation and conventional financing. However, the rapid development of technology is beginning to challenge some of these known traditional structures, such as the use of blockchain technology and digital assets in real estate investment.

Consequently, every prudent purchaser must undertake comprehensive legal due diligence before completing any land transaction.

Kenya's real estate sector achieved remarkable growth in 2025, driven by monetary policy easing, infrastructure development, and the operationalisation of affordable housing regulations.

Kenya's real estate sector achieved remarkable growth in 2025, driven by monetary policy easing, infrastructure development, and the operationalisation of affordable housing regulations.

A piece of land can look like an excellent investment and still be legally unsuitable for the project you have in mind. In Nigeria, a buyer may discover after payment that the property is affected by government acquisition, a reservation, a proposed infrastructure corridor, competing claims or restrictions on its use. This is why checking the title alone is not enough. Before buying land in Nigeria, investors should establish who has the legal interest in the property, whether that interest can be transferred, whether the land is affected by government acquisition and whether it can legally be used for the proposed development.

APM Terminals has entered exclusive negotiations for Nigeria's $2.5 billion Badagry Deep Seaport project, but what contractual, land, regulatory and financing protections must be established before this proposed investment can move from MoU to commercial close? This analysis examines the legal mechanisms protecting major infrastructure investments in Nigeria, from PPP frameworks and NIPC guarantees to competition law concerns and currency risk management.

England's new Private Rented Sector Database will require all residential landlords to register themselves and their properties in a phased regional rollout beginning December 2026. With registration fees of £65 per property, annual renewals, and penalties up to £40,000 for non-compliance, landlords face significant new administrative obligations and potential consequences for failing to maintain active database entries.

A South African court held a landlord liable for severe injuries sustained by a minor child when a heavy sliding gate toppled onto him at rented premises. The judgment examined whether the landlord breached his duty to maintain reasonably safe premises and whether the absence of adequate safety mechanisms constituted negligence, with significant implications for property owner liability insurance.

The tenancy system in Lagos State has, for many years, been plagued by several challenges, including weak enforcement of existing laws, abusive exploitation and discriminatory practices by landlords, exploitative tendencies of agents, and arbitrary rent increases, to mention a few. In an attempt to curb these practices, the Lagos State Government has proposed the Lagos State Tenancy & Recovery of Premises Bill, 2025 (the “Bill”), which is designed to overhaul and sanitize the landlord-tenant relationship in Lagos State. The Bill is structured in four parts, comprising 45 Clauses.