COVER STORY
COVER STORY
The ecosystem still has gaps: skills funding at scale, stronger anchor depth in parts of West Africa retail, and FX / capital-mobility tools for long-term investors.“ Governments don’ t have all the capital,” Horne says.“ They can create enabling markets. PPPs, student housing, border posts these are doable now with the right frameworks.”
The Broll difference
If you operate across African markets, you need local authority, comparable outputs, and frictionless problem-solving. Broll’ s proposition is that you can have all three in one relationship. You’ ll get FM uptime that protects rent, data that turns best guesses into benchmarks, and teams that know the ground truth of permits, power, and people.
“ We don’ t ask clients to be brave on our behalf,” Horne says.“ We do the brave work, so their returns look boringly reliable.”
The Next Wave: Tough cycles, real compounding
Broll tends to gain share in tough markets. When vacancies pinch, power is erratic, or anchors wobble, FM excellence and decisive operating discipline matter more.
“ Anyone can surf during a boom,” Horne says.“ In headwinds, capability shows.” The firm’ s recent wins in property management, the build-out of one of Africa’ s largest FM footprints, and new REIT mandates( across several countries) reinforce the pattern: focus on the controllables, build annuity, compound trust.
The residential pivot is equally pragmatic. In South Africa, Broll is targeting the sub R10,000 rental band, a volume market that needs professional operations: letting, collections, maintenance, and quick turn-arounds.
Elsewhere, the company’ s multi-family playbooks lean on a decade of lessons about service charge discipline, metering, and tenant experience.
22 REI MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2025