ARCE 2026 Speaker Spotlight: Lara Aloba on Building Generational Wealth Across Borders — and Why “Not Yet” Is Sometimes the Smartest Move

ARCE 2026 Speaker Spotlight

Winnipeg, Canada — 18 September 2026 · Property News Africa is an Official Digital Media Partner of ARCE 2026

Most conference talks about building wealth through property lean hard on the upside. Lara Aloba’s does something rarer: it tells you when not to buy. The Winnipeg-based realtor and investor, who moved to Canada from Nigeria and co-founded Aloba Alliance Real Estate, wants Africans and the diaspora to think bigger about global real estate — and to bring the same discipline home that they would apply anywhere else. Her session at the Africa Real Estate Conference & Expo in Accra on 14–16 October is titled “Beyond Borders: How Africans Can Build Generational Wealth Through Global Real Estate.”

Property News Africa put seven questions to her ahead of the conference. Her answers, lightly edited, are below.

Speaker snapshot

The first purchase: start with what’s in reach

Property News Africa: You built your real estate career in Winnipeg after moving from Nigeria. What was your first property investment, and what did it teach you that you still apply today?

Lara Aloba: My first property investment in Canada was a townhouse that my husband and I purchased together. Looking back, what stands out most isn’t the size or type of property; it is the fact that we started.

That first purchase taught me that you don’t have to begin with the perfect investment or have everything figured out before you enter the market. You need to understand what you can afford, educate yourself, make a sound decision and begin building from there. Over time, our journey has expanded beyond owning a home to investing in different types of property and exploring opportunities across borders. But that first townhouse was the beginning, and I still believe strongly in the power of starting with what is within your reach and building strategically from there.

What generational wealth really means

PNA: What does generational wealth mean in practice for a first-generation African investor, and where do most people go wrong on the first step?

LA: For me, generational wealth is much bigger than leaving money to your children. It is about leaving assets, knowledge and systems that can continue creating opportunities for the next generation.

As first-generation immigrants and investors, many of us are building something our parents may not have had the opportunity to build internationally. The mistake I often see is thinking you need enormous capital before you can begin. You don’t necessarily need to start big. You need to start informed. One well-researched asset can become the foundation for the next one. The goal is not simply to acquire property; it is to build a portfolio and knowledge base that can eventually outlive you.

No foreign credit history? Choose the market first

PNA: For an African living on the continent with no foreign credit history, what is the realistic path to owning property in Canada or another Western market — and what are the financing, residency and tax hurdles, honestly?

LA: The first thing I would say is that global real estate is not one market. The rules in Canada are very different from the rules in the United States, and that distinction is important.

Canada currently has significant restrictions on the purchase of certain residential properties by non-Canadians, with specific exemptions, so it may not be the most straightforward entry point for someone living on the African continent today.

The United States is one of the markets I am particularly interested in for international investors, because there are more pathways for foreign buyers to participate. You don’t necessarily need U.S. citizenship or a U.S. credit history to explore the market. Depending on the investor and the deal, options may include cash purchases, foreign-national financing, private lending, seller financing and partnerships. That doesn’t mean there are no hurdles. Foreign investors still need to understand taxation, ownership structures, financing costs, property management and exit strategy; U.S. tax rules also specifically address foreign owners of U.S. real property.

This is why I encourage investors to choose the market first, understand its rules and then assemble the right team. Don’t start with the property. Start with understanding the system in which that property exists.

Editor’s note: Canada currently restricts many non-Canadians from purchasing certain residential properties, subject to exemptions, with the federal prohibition currently scheduled to remain in effect until 1 January 2027. In the United States, FIRPTA imposes tax-withholding requirements when foreign persons dispose of certain U.S. real-property interests. Rules change — take current professional advice in the relevant market.

Investing back home: familiarity is not due diligence

PNA: Many diaspora Africans want to invest back home. What are the most common mistakes you see when they buy land or property in Nigeria, Ghana or elsewhere in Africa?

LA: One of the biggest mistakes is allowing familiarity to replace due diligence. Because we call it “home,” we sometimes rely on relatives, friends, developers or informal assurances in situations where we would insist on lawyers, title verification, documentation and independent professional advice if we were investing elsewhere.

Another mistake is buying based heavily on emotion or future promises: “this area will develop,” “the road is coming,” or “this land will double in value.” Those things may happen, but an investment still needs to make sense based on information that can be independently verified. Investing back home can present tremendous opportunities, but we need to approach them with the same discipline we would use when investing anywhere else in the world.

Sizing the first purchase — and when to wait

PNA: Cross-border investing carries currency, distance and regulatory risk. How should someone size a first international purchase relative to their total wealth, and when is the answer “not yet”?

LA: I don’t believe there is one percentage that works for everyone. What matters is whether you can make the investment without compromising your financial stability.

Your first international purchase should not wipe out your emergency reserves or leave you unable to absorb repairs, vacancies, currency movements, financing costs or an unexpected change in circumstances. And I think we need to normalise saying “not yet.” Sometimes the smartest investment decision is to wait.

If you don’t understand the market, don’t have adequate reserves, haven’t verified the legal structure, or need an unrealistic return for the numbers to work, you’re probably not ready yet. Building wealth is not a race to accumulate properties. Preparation is part of investing too.

The advice she’d push back on

PNA: What’s one piece of widely repeated advice about international property that you’d push back on?

LA: “Real estate always goes up.”

I love real estate, and I believe strongly in its potential as a wealth-building vehicle, but not every property is a good investment. Markets change. Regulations change. Neighbourhoods change. Currency values change. And a property can increase in value while still being a poor investment if the acquisition cost, financing, expenses or exit strategy don’t make sense.

I would replace “real estate always goes up” with something much simpler: good real estate investing starts with good information.

One action in the next 90 days

PNA: If someone leaves your session with just one action to take in the next 90 days, what should it be?

LA: Choose one market and study it deeply. Not five countries and not twenty opportunities you’ve seen on social media. Pick one market. Understand who can legally buy there, how foreign investors finance purchases, what properties cost, what they rent for, what the taxes and operating expenses look like, and who you need on the ground.

Then start analysing real deals, even if you’re not ready to purchase yet. In 90 days, I would rather someone move from saying “I’d love to invest internationally someday” to being able to say, “I understand this market, I know what my first investment could look like, and I know what I need to do next.” That clarity is where the journey begins.

Editor

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