The property and broader built environment sector has an important role to play in Africa’s growth, but it needs to be taken more seriously and prioritised.

This was one of the strong messages to emerge from the recent Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) 2016 Africa Summit in Sandton Central, Johannesburg.

Opportunities and challenges in the real estate sector and broader built environment in Sub-Saharan Africa was the key theme of the summit, which brought together leading speakers and professionals in the built environment.

RICS chief executive Sean Tompkins said the growth and development of the built environment sector in Africa was crucial to the sustainable growth of continent, especially with Africa’s rapid urbanisation.

“The built environment sector needs to be taken more seriously and we need to get the message across. Africa is one of the fastest urbanising regions in the world and will have to house a billion people, so getting its built and urban environments right is critical.”

Tompkins added: “Africa is not alone. Most governments around the world don’t recognise the importance of the built environment sector and the profession. They understand medical, accounting and law professions better, but need to get the message about the role and importance of built environment professionals. They need to understand the importance of increasing skills in the sector and having more built and urban environment professionals.”

RICS – a global professional body that promotes and enforces the highest qualifications and standards in the areas of land, real estate, construction and infrastructure – has a key role to play in promoting the broader built environment sector and is increasing its presence in Africa.

Tompkins said RICS was taking a collaborative approach in working with other professional bodies, governments and institutions in Africa to promote standards, skills and the built environment sector on the whole.

“There is a role for professional bodies such as RICS to set the competencies to ensure that we’re creating the workforce for the future. It is important to create an environment where government, regulators and professional bodies hold one another to account,” he said.