{"id":60256,"date":"2014-10-28T15:17:26","date_gmt":"2014-10-28T15:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=60256"},"modified":"2014-10-28T15:22:32","modified_gmt":"2014-10-28T15:22:32","slug":"ghanaians-among-africas-big-spenders-in-london","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=60256","title":{"rendered":"Ghanaians among Africa’s big spenders in London"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wealthy African buyers are spending almost \u00a34million on London property every week as they look to snap up exclusive investments in the UK, it has emerged.<\/p>\n

Super-rich oligarchs are taking their vast resources and investing them in the safe haven of London property – with more than \u00a3600million spent in the capital in the past three years.<\/p>\n

A mixture of traditional reasons combined with increased terrorism and the outbreak of Ebola is said to be behind the dramatic influx of African money to the capital.<\/p>\n

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\"Super-rich<\/p>\n
\u00a0Super-rich African oligarchs are taking their vast resources and investing them in the safe haven of London property – with more than \u00a3600million spent in the capital in the past three years and \u00a34million spent in the city every week. They favour the likes of One Hyde Park<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Folorunsho<\/p>\n
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Folorunsho Alakija, a billionaire oil tycoon, fashion designer and philanthropist from Lagos, is a big investor in the London market<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The wealthy buyers are typically spending between \u00a315million and \u00a325million on each home and are purchasing luxury properties<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Beauchamp<\/p>\n
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Beauchamp Estates, which sells some of London’s most expensive homes, said properties such as the one above are those favoured<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

While African buyers only account for 1.5 per of transactions in the ‘ultra prime’ London market, they make up five per cent of sales by value – up from two per cent. This is by typically spending between \u00a315million and \u00a325million on each home.<\/p>\n

The recent Ebola epidemic and continued terrorism from groups such as Boko Haram has resulted in an increase in buyers in recent months.<\/p>\n

Beauchamp Estates, which sells some of London’s most expensive homes, today released a report on African buyers in the capital.<\/p>\n

The upmarket estate agency said the buyers are coming from six countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Senegal.<\/p>\n

Nigerians are the biggest spenders, with wealthy nationals forking out \u00a3250million on London homes in the last three years.<\/p>\n

The new wave of super-rich includes Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian business magnate who, with a \u00a316billion fortune, is Africa’s wealthiest man.<\/p>\n

Folorunsho Alakija, a billionaire oil tycoon, fashion designer and philanthropist from Lagos, is also a big investor in the London property market. She recently bought four apartments in\u00a0One Hyde Park, the super-exclusive development in Knightsbridge.<\/p>\n

Her British-born nephew Rotimi Alakija, who also goes by the stage name of DJ Xclusive, has also invested property in the capital.<\/p>\n

It is thought other tycoons have also been eyeing up homes on Kensington Palace Gardens – known as Billionaires’ Row.<\/p>\n

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\"Nigerians<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Nigerians are the biggest spenders in London, with wealthy nationals forking out \u00a3250million on homes in the city in the last three years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"African<\/p>\n
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African buyers make up five per cent of sales by value in the ‘ultra prime’ London market – up from two per cent in recent years<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Beauchamp<\/p>\n
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Beauchamp Estates said\u00a0the African buyers are coming from six countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Gabon, Cameroon and Senegal<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"The<\/p>\n
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The super-rich look to buy luxury property in the ‘platinum triangle’ which is made up of Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Gary Hersham, managing director of Beauchamp Estates, revealed he has had three super-rich Nigerians enquiring about homes in the past week alone.\u00a0This is despite the average person in Nigeria earning just \u00a3850 per year.<\/p>\n

He said: ‘I’ve had an upturn in African buyers over the last few months.<\/p>\n

‘The situation in West Africa at present is pushing rich African buyers back into Central London at a significantly higher level than is normally experienced.<\/p>\n

‘While war, disease and terrorism in West Africa grab media headlines, actually for super-rich Africans its domestic wealth, cultural ties to London, general safety and education for their children that are the key attractions for buying a home in central London.’<\/p>\n

Mr Hersham said these super-rich look to buy property in the ‘platinum triangle’ which is made up of Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge.<\/p>\n

Around 80 per cent spend between \u00a315million to \u00a325million on a residential property, with ten per cent spending more than \u00a330million.<\/p>\n

If they are not buying, they are renting luxury homes for up to \u00a315,000-per-week and staying for between six weeks and three months per year.<\/p>\n

London’s reputation for having a residential property market, which is secure and a stable investment, is one of the main reasons wealthy Africans are buying, according to Beauchamp Estates.<\/p>\n

Another reason is historic cultural and community ties.<\/p>\n

Nigeria is a Commonwealth country and there is a community of 70,000 in London. There are a similar number of Ghanaians in the capital.<\/p>\n

Gary Hersham, managing director of Beauchamp Estates, revealed he has had three super-rich Nigerians enquiring about homes in the past week alone.\u00a0This is despite the average person in Nigeria earning just \u00a3850 per year.<\/p>\n

He said: ‘I’ve had an upturn in African buyers over the last few months.<\/span><\/p>\n

‘The situation in West Africa at present is pushing rich African buyers back into Central London at a significantly higher level than is normally experienced.<\/p>\n

‘While war, disease and terrorism in West Africa grab media headlines, actually for super-rich Africans its domestic wealth, cultural ties to London, general safety and education for their children that are the key attractions for buying a home in central London.’<\/p>\n

Mr Hersham said these super-rich look to buy property in the ‘platinum triangle’ which is made up of Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge.<\/p>\n

Around 80 per cent spend between \u00a315million to \u00a325million on a residential property, with ten per cent spending more than \u00a330million.<\/p>\n

If they are not buying, they are renting luxury homes for up to \u00a315,000-per-week and staying for between six weeks and three months per year.<\/p>\n

London’s reputation for having a residential property market, which is secure and a stable investment, is one of the main reasons wealthy Africans are buying, according to Beauchamp Estates.<\/p>\n

Another reason is historic cultural and community ties.<\/p>\n

Nigeria is a Commonwealth country and there is a community of 70,000 in London. There are a similar number of Ghanaians in the capital.<\/p>\n

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\"It<\/p>\n
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It is thought the property tycoons have been eyeing up homes on Kensington Palace Gardens – known as Billionaires’ Row (pictured)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"London's<\/p>\n
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London’s reputation for having a residential property market, which is secure and a stable investment, is one of the main reasons wealthy Africans are buying,\u00a0according to Beauchamp Estates<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Around<\/p>\n
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Around 80 per cent spend between \u00a315million to \u00a325million on a residential property, with ten per cent spending more than \u00a330million<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"If<\/p>\n
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If they are not buying, they are renting luxury homes for up to \u00a315,000-per-week and staying for between six weeks and three months<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The third reason is education, with King’s School Canterbury, Wycombe Abbey, Cheltenham Ladies College, Eton, Harrow and Bradfield are among the favourite private schools for wealthy families from Africa.<\/p>\n

According to the Nigerian embassy, Nigerian nationals spend more than \u00a3300million-a-year on tutoring, accommodation, fees and equipment at British schools and universities.<\/p>\n

Mr Hersham added: ‘It is going to be the African century.<\/p>\n

‘Continental African buyers or luxury tenants in London are currently where the Russians and Ukrainians were five years ago.<\/p>\n

‘At present virtually all the transactions are for end use, not rental investment, which indicates that the African buyer market in London has significant room for growth and maturity.<\/p>\n

‘Nigerians have been long standing property purchasers in the central London market, going back to the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

‘However, in the 1980s and 1990s they typically purchased houses in North London, in Hampstead, St Johns Wood and Primrose Hill.<\/p>\n

‘Now, enhanced wealth has enabled them to move into the ultra prime market in Mayfair, Belgravia and Knightsbridge, and have been joined by affluent purchasers from other West African and French equatorial states.’<\/p>\n

Source: Mail Online<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wealthy African buyers are spending almost \u00a34million on London property every week as they look to snap up exclusive investments in the UK, it has emerged. Super-rich oligarchs are taking their vast resources and investing them in the safe haven of London property – with more than \u00a3600million spent in the capital in the past […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":60257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4],"class_list":["post-60256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-st-augustines-college"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}