Cosgrove: Bridging Gap in Pan-African Housing Deficit

Iyobosa Uwugiaren writes that Cosgrove Investment Limited is fast changing the narrative of modern real estate development in Nigeria

Cosgrove Investment Limited, a real estate development and general construction company, is fast changing the narrative and bridging the gap in the pan-African housing deficit.

The firm is also unlocking value for all for stakeholders. And in the next five years it hopes to be a dominant player in the Nigerian and West African real estate market.

The Head of Sales & Allocations at Cosgrove, Sakana Dikko Philip, said the company is focused on developing opportunities both in Nigeria’s and West Africa’s real estate markets – across construction, management and investing.

“We leverage years of hand on experience to provide: real estate development; infrastructure and general construction; investment, management and advisory services and structural restoration services.

‘’Our core target consists of fist-time home buyers, ROI seeking investors, cooperative societies, government organizations as well as indigenous and multinational corporations seeking tailored housing and investment.

‘’Cosgrove focuses on creating sustainable family friendly communities with stunning ambience of luxury. These are typically in high demand and have demonstrated high Return on Investment (ROI) for both investors and home.’’
A real estate development and general construction company with the headquarters in the nation’s capital, Abuja that is focusing on offering top quality housing solutions for specific markets in Nigeria and West Africa, its services suggest that the company is delivering on tailored services with a level of ‘’professionalism and reliability’’ equal to the best international developments.

From the mission statement to the core values of the organisation, at the heart of Cosgrove is a bottomless guarantee to delivering on a unbroken and forthright experience for each and every of its customer, believing that this is essential to positioning the Cosgrove brand as a true leader and innovator in its market segment.
‘’The companies that own the future are those that look forward, anticipating market needs, trends and technology; using them to create the best products and services’’, the company stated.

‘’Cosgrove is committed to building homes that are sustainably ready for tomorrow’s technology – from simple automation and energy efficiency, to full on smart home capabilities – yet are also aesthetically pleasing and practical in today’s world.’’

The company added its unique set of ‘’technical and business expertise’’ allows its team to design, develop and deliver homes, offices and entire gated communities that come ready with the infrastructure needed to enable ‘’smart living’’, while individual buyers then have the option of simply connecting or upgrading their pre-wired (smart) homes when they are ready.

With features like metered gas to every home; integrated high-speed broadband fibber-optic internet connectivity in its built houses, they ensure that residing in a Cosgrove community gives a taste of life as it should be lived.
‘’At Cosgrove, we believe buildings have the capacity to make a major contribution to a more sustainable future for our planet. This is why in the design, construction and management of our buildings, we strive for maximum economic efficiency’’, the company stated.

‘’Cosgrove seamlessly integrates, manages and implements projects right from creation to completion and at every stage in-between. We are deeply invested in understanding our customers’ goals and in developing the most appropriate and rewarding ways to realize them. Another core offering from Cosgrove is the provision of world-class, high-quality scalable infrastructure for both private and public projects.’’

In addition to its real estate business, Cosgrove also undertakes general construction work; leveraging a strong network of suppliers, vendors and hands on experience in construction in various parts of the country, and providing turnaround services for private firms, institutions and corporate bodies, while also focusing on transforming dormant or non-performing assets into viable sources of revenue; for instance, hotels, let-table spaces or housing solutions.

It boasted that its unique service enables the company’s partners to harness untapped revenue streams and increases its overall Return On Investment (ROI), while carefully analysing the potential of any property – built or otherwise – and armed with insight into emerging trends across Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape, which enables it perform turnaround services that transform ‘’even dogs into cash cow.’’

From its many services, Cosgrove also offers specialised investment vehicles and advisory services to select clients, while the experience and skills of its team give the management access to major deals and opportunities in the real estate sector.

Cosgrove’s Head of Sales and Allocation added, ‘’Our team of experts also offer informed advice to institutions, cooperatives and multinationals seeking viable opportunities and solid Return on Investment.

“At Cosgrove we bring a unique set of skills, along with intimate knowledge of local market conditions to bear on identifying opportunities: minimizing risk and maximizing the upside when it comes to investing in real estate. This is what we offer our partners and clients.’’

The Cosgrove core team consists of highly respected individuals with years of experience and solid reputation built on professionalism, integrity and commitment to delivering value for all stakeholders.

The Cosgrove Founder, Umar Abdullahi, comes with over 15 years varied experience in Real Estate Development, Investment and Financial Services. Also doubled as the CEO of the company, Umar served as the pioneer Managing Director of Brains & Hammers Ltd for eight years.

He is reputed to have directed the foundations for the company’s success, and spearheaded the conceptualisation, development, construction and management of a myriad of housing estates and gated communities. Umar is particularly adept at managing complex projects and diverse teams.

For instance, most recently, under his leadership, the Kano Economic City — a N167 billion joint venture project between Brains & Hammers and the Kano State Government, was said to have been consummated. He also brings extensive experience from his corporate banking background, as well as expertise in negotiations with a commitment to compliance with corporate governance and fiscal discipline.

Described as an “astute leader, whose vision is achieving Cosgrove’s strategic business goals,’’ his multi-coloured international executive leadership training programs, is said to have equipped him for his role in steering Cosgrove to achieve its long-term vision.

A graduate of Bayero University, Kano, and an alumnus of Cranfild University, UK; Umar attends the Harvard Business School Executive Programs.

Another human capital asset of Cosgrove is Elizabeth Taylor, the Chief Operating Officer of the company. An Arch Bishop Tutu Fellow of the African Leadership Institute, she is seen as a business strategist with proven strength tactically executing strategy and delivering on organizational goals.

Said to be believed in the combined of role people driven tactics and systems in delivering excellence to all stakeholders, after a multidisciplinary role spanning nearly 16 years, she is reputed to know what truly drives business process, customer engagement and strategy. From her profile, Taylor strengths include knowledge management, business management, people management, customer relationship management and more.

An accomplished people developer and trainer with a unique method for creating high performing teams, she is an alumnus of the Said Business School Leadership program — with African Leadership Institute and Wharton Business School Real Estate program on Housing Finance & Securitization.

In addition to her extensive multidisciplinary experience, Taylor is also a certified customer service strategist and coach; she is also a published author. She is a Business Administration graduate of University of Abuja, with an MSc in Knowledge Management from the Aberdeen Business School.

Engr. Baba Kalli heads the technical department of Cosgrove as the Chief Technical Officer. A graduate of Civil and Water Resources Engineering from the University of Maiduguri, Kalli brings over 20 years of experience in the Real Estate & Construction Industry – Designing, Constructing and Managing both Public and Private projects across Nigeria.

He has served as Director Technical Operations of BCals Resources Ltd. He led the design and construction of various projects including the Oando Nig. Plc. Maitama; BBC Media Office Abuja; Yakubu Gowon Centre in Kumasi Crescent, National Diary Development Commission Headquarters, Abuja; First Shopping Plaza for Jabire Nig. Ltd., Abuja, among many other highly regarded projects.

Preceding to this he also served as a Principal Engineer and later Consultant to Futune Niger Limited leading the construction of several Turnkey projects including the NIPC building Maitama, Abuja; NSITF office at Wuse 2, Abuja; BUA Estate Asokoro, Abuja; and the British Preparatory School Wuse 2, Abuja.

A registered member of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Kalli is also a seasoned infrastructure and real estate consultant with a vast network of contacts across virtually every aspect of the real estate industry.

With a dedicated Project Management Team, Cosgrove’s delivery starts from identifying suitable high value parcels of land, hands-on environmentally conscious and future-ready design, construction and development; culminating in proactive facility management.