By Kingsley Adegboye

The Africa International Housing Show (AIHS) has endorsed 10 of Nigeria’s most promising proptech and housing technology companies after they emerged as winners of the AIHS Innovation Challenge.

The challenge took place during the 20th anniversary (Legacy Edition) of the Africa International Housing Show in Abuja in July 2026. The winners will receive promotion, investment linkages and business development support from the organisation.

According to AIHS, the innovators impressed a panel of industry experts with solutions aimed at addressing major housing and real estate challenges across Africa through technology, sustainability, digital intelligence and new business models. The endorsement forms part of the AIHS @20 Housing Innovation Hub and the inauguration of the AIHS Innovators Club, an initiative designed to identify, nurture and support emerging innovators in the housing and construction sector.

The selected innovators demonstrated creativity in areas including housing affordability, construction technology, property intelligence, digital investment platforms, facility management, sustainable housing and smart property solutions.

The endorsed innovators are John Oamen of CUTSTRUCT, which focuses on digital construction procurement and project delivery; Israel Ihaza of OIKUS, developer of a real estate intelligence engine for market data and analytics; Terver Orbunde of NULO AFRICA, a digital property investment platform; Muhammad Tukur of PROPA BRIDGE, which provides property intelligence solutions; and Arc. Gideon Okolie of ECOJINDU NG. LTD., which promotes environmentally sustainable and affordable social housing.

Others are Samuel Alabi and Olayinka Abiola of META-IV SOLUTIONS, who work on digital fabrication technologies for modern construction; Folabi Obembe of WORLDVIEW PRO, which offers technology-driven facility management services; Nnamdi Uba of SYTEMAP, developing digital solutions for property management; Aliyu Ibrahim of PLOTBASE (PRISMAFORGE), which delivers digital tools for property planning and investment; and Ola-Jacobs Ipinmoroto of The Affordable Housing Company Ltd., which advances scalable and sustainable affordable housing models.

AIHS described the 10 innovators as examples of the next generation of entrepreneurs redefining real estate in Africa through innovation and technology. It called on governments, housing agencies, financial institutions, developers, investors, development partners and corporate organisations to support them through partnerships, patronage, collaborations and investment, noting that indigenous innovation is critical to addressing Africa’s housing deficit.

The organisation announced a long-term commitment to promote every member of its Innovation Hub and the AIHS Innovators Club by providing sustained business development support beyond the annual exhibition. Members will benefit from increased visibility through AIHS programmes, strategic business introductions, investor engagement, marketing support, networking opportunities, media exposure, policy advocacy and access to local and international partnerships.

AIHS encouraged members of the Innovation Hub and Innovators Club to contact the organisation whenever they require business support, investment linkages, market access, partnerships or promotional assistance. It stated that the Innovation Hub is a long-term growth platform created to help promising innovators turn ideas into successful enterprises capable of shaping Africa’s housing sector.

The organisation also reaffirmed its commitment to developing the next generation of leaders for Africa’s housing and real estate industry through the AIHS Innovation Hub and the AIHS Professionals Youth Club. Both initiatives aim to attract young talents from real estate, architecture, engineering, construction, technology, finance, urban planning, law, research, communications and entrepreneurship who are prepared to succeed the present generation of industry leaders.

“The future of Africa’s housing industry lies in the hands of innovative young professionals. AIHS is deliberately building a pipeline of visionary leaders who will succeed the present generation and drive the continent’s housing industry to greater heights,” the organisation said.

Beyond organising Africa’s largest housing and construction event each year, AIHS said it remains committed to raising the next generation of industry leaders through platforms for innovation, mentorship, research, networking, leadership development and business support. This mission is reinforced by its ownership of Housing TV Africa, the continent’s first dedicated housing television station, along with related programmes and media platforms that provide year-round visibility and opportunities for young innovators to showcase their ideas.

AIHS said it would continue expanding these platforms to help produce globally competitive housing professionals, innovators and entrepreneurs capable of delivering sustainable solutions to the continent’s housing challenges.

“Today’s innovators are tomorrow’s industry leaders. The future of real estate is PropTech, and AIHS will continue to champion innovators whose ideas are changing the housing landscape across Africa,” the statement added.