Victoria Falls listed Property Company WestProp CEO Mr Ken Sharpe has been conferred with the African ‘award for innovation’ at the 13th African achievers awards ceremony and international summit held at the House of Lords, United Kingdom Parliament.
WestProp the company was awarded the best African Organisation of the Year.
The awards recognize Mr Sharpe’s “exceptional giant strides in philanthropy and real estate development”.
In an interview soon after bagging the award Mr Sharpe said he was committed to Zimbabwe and would concentrate his resources and strength to make a meaningful impact in the country through his company’s one billion brick vision.
The company has a vision of laying one billion bricks by 2050 and has since embarked on massive lifestyle development projects in Harare that include Pomona City, Millennium City and the upcoming Hills Golf Estate in Warren Park.
“This award is not only about me or WestProp but is also for all of us at home because today I represent my country and I want everyone to know that there are great things coming from Zimbabwe. As I always say our greatest asset is our people,” he said
On being innovative, Mr Sharpe had this to say: “It’s all about mindset and seeing opportunities to improve when they present themselves.
“We at WestProp innovate by offering the first lifestyle communities, leasehold property ownership in Zimbabwe as well as making our developments green and sustainable using solar, grey water and bio digesters. The world is changing all the time and as a leader you have to keep up with continuous adaptation and iteration; if you do not evolve you will be left behind.
We need to change our mindset by embracing disruptive technology and use it to improve humanity and how we operate in business. So when I look at innovation in Africa we are far behind in many areas,” he said.
West Property’s innovative ideas are exemplified in their lifestyle communities, which offer residents high quality living through a combination of smart city technology, communal living spaces, and unique amenities. These smart city eco-friendly communities have been designed to appeal to modern homeowners who seek a balance between live, work, shop and play. With West Props innovative ideas and commitment to sustainability, the future of property development in Zimbabwe is looking brighter than ever. He also said on his part he was already setting the pace, trend and example at WestProp whose mantra is bringing Dubai to Zimbabwe through the construction of mixed use lifestyle communities that range from super luxury to premium luxury to ultra-luxury. In recent years, property development has been revolutionized by technological innovation, and West Props forward-thinking approach has positioned it as a leading developer in Harare.
Asked whether he was looking at spreading his business tentacles outside Zimbabwe, Mr Sharpe had this to say: “My plans for Africa start with where I am which is in Zimbabwe. My plans are focused on Zimbabwe. I am not looking at stepping outside the country because there is so much for me to do here. We have to make the light shine and the rest of Africa will follow,” he said.
Big African names have been honoured at previous awards ceremonies and among them are Zimbabweans is Ms Divine Ndhukhula of Securico. African luminatries and presidents have as well been badged among them former South African cabinet Minister and AU chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, His Excellency Jakaya Kikwete (Former President of The Republic Of Tanzania) among others.
The awards ceremony and summit which ran under the theme “Unlocking Trade and Investment Opportunities for Sustainable Development in Africa” were hosted by Lord Simone Wooley, the Right Honourable Member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament: Palace of Westminster.
