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Staff Profile

Dr Raymond Abdulai

Senior Lecturer in Real Estate and Urban Development

  • Email: raymond.abdulai@ncl.ac.uk
  • Telephone: +44 (0)191 208 2581
  • Address: School of Architecture, Planning & Landscape
    Henry Daysh Building (Rm 8.21), Claremont Road
    Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
Background


Introduction

Raymond Talinbe Abdulai joined Newcastle University in February 2018, having previously worked at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Liverpool, and Wolverhampton University, Wolverhampton. Raymond lectured at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana and practised as a valuation surveyor before commencing his academic career in the UK.

Qualifications

  • BSc (First Class Honours) in Land Economy, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  • MPhil in Land Economy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
  • PhD in Real Estate, Wolverhampton University, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
  • PGCert in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Wolverhampton University, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Esteem Indicators

He is associated with the following institutions: 

  • Member, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS)
  • Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Fellow, Cambridge Commonwealth Society (FCCS)
  • Associate Member of Commonwealth Association of Surveying & Land Economy. 

Raymond has in total produced 92 publications so far. He has successfully supervised several PhD and MPhil students and has served as an examiner (internal & external) for several PhD and MPhil students: he has, for example, served as an external examiner in universities like Cambridge, Heriot Watt, Salford, and Wolverhampton Universities in the UK and University of Twente, Enschede in The Netherlands. He is currently the lead supervisor of two PhD students. As a Chartered Surveyor, he practises and also engages in consultancy activities internationally for, particularly, African governments by carrying out research on land related issues.

Raymond serves as reviewer for the following international academic journals:

  • Land Use Policy;
  • Habitat International;
  • African Review of Economics and Finance; 
  • Journal of Real Estate Literature;
  • International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation;
  • Cities - International Journal of Urban Policy and Planning;
  • Social Indicators Research;
  • International Journal of Urban Sustainable Development;
  • International Development Planning Review;
  • Journal of Housing and Built Environment;
  • Poverty and Public Policy;
  • International Planning Studies;
  • Journal of World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development;
  • Journal of Planning Education and Research;
  • Urban Studies; and
  • Housing Studies.

He reviews textbook proposals for publishers like Taylor and Francis (Routledge) and serves on the editorial advisory board of an international academic journal: African Review of Economics and Finance. He also reviews papers for international conferences, for example, annual Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction, Building and Real Estate Research (COBRA) Conferences and has also served as a Track Chair for conferences. He served as the editor-in-chief of Journal of International Real Estate and Construction Studies from 2010 to 2018.

In 2007, Raymond was part of a 14–Member Think Tank that examined “Property Rights, Markets and Underdevelopment in Africa” at a Colloquium organised by International Policy Network, UK (funded by Liberty Fund of USA) at Savill Court Hotel and Conference from 21–24 February in  Surrey, UK.

In September 2018 he was part of a Team of built environment professionals and academics invited by Members of the Management Board of Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy (CASLE) to join them in launching the Golden Jubilee Year of CASLE in 2019 at The RICS Council Chamber, Parliament Square, London  after which the Team and Members of the Management Board participated in workshop discussion on "CASLE - the future in a post Brexit world". 


Research




Raymond's research interests span various facets of real estate (RE) including: environmental sustainability in RE; RE economics; RE management; RE investment including RE securitisation - performance of RE investments trusts (REITs); RE finance and development; housing; RE valuation; emerging RE markets; and landed property rights in the developing world.

Raymond is currently a member of an international research team (from Newcastle University and King's College London [UK], and University of Ghana, University for Development Studies, and Water Research Institute of Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, all in Ghana) executing a project on Energising Landscapes: Lands, Livelihoods, and Energy Infrastructures in Ghana (EnergyScapes) (funded by The British Academy). Using three energy infrastructures (Ghana Gas Processing Plant in Atuabo, Bui Dam Hydroelectric Plant, and Kaleo Solar Power Plant) as case studies, the EnergyScapes project is investigating the environmental and livelihood impacts of such heterogeneous energy infrastructures on nearby communities.

He was part of the research team that executed a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)-funded Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory (LCEI) project. The LCEI project worked with SMEs on individual basis to develop low carbon systems to ultimately bring about economic and environmental benefits for businesses, their customers and the community.

Raymond has collaboratively/solely executed other research projects including:

  • Land tenure considerations for neighbourhood plans in Kampala (International Growth Centre [IGC]-funded);
  • Informal transactions under the land tenure regularisation programme in Rwanda (funded by Rwanda Natural Resources Authority [RNRA] and Department for International Development [DFID], now Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office [FCDO];
  • Rwanda’s land tenure reform: Impacts, challenges and lessons learnt (DFID/FCDO-funded)
  • Policy options to support Government of Rwandan National Land Policy review (United States Agency for International Development [USAID]-funded); and
  • Economics of traditional landholding institutions in Ghana (funded by Wolverhampton University and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors [RICS] Education Trust).

He has secured travel grants from agencies like the World Bank, American Real Estate Society (ARES) and European Real Estate Society (ERES) to present research papers at international conferences.

Internally, Raymond has solely developed several research projects and secured funding for their execution, for example:

  • The Impact of Shopping-Malls in a Neoliberal and Globalising City Context on Nearby Traditional and Existing Retail Forms: Case Study of the Accra and West Hills Malls in Accra, Ghana (funded by School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University);
  • Examining the impacts of a new regional inner-city retail development on Liverpool’s existing inner-city shopping centres and other retail areas (funded by the School of Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University); and
  • Secure Property Rights and Access to Credit for Small Enterprises’ (SEs) Credit: A Comparative Study of Ghana and England (funded by the School of Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University).
Teaching


Raymond teaches in the Planning Section.

At the undergraduate level, he contributes teaching to TCP2005 Houses and Homes and TCP3028 Strategies into Action: Planning where he leads the Property Development Project, one of the Projects delivered under the module.  At the postgraduate level, he is the module leader for TCP8954 Housing and Settlements and TCP8950 Valuation and Appraisal for Planning. He is also the Degree Programme Director for MA Planning and Environment Research as well as Senior Tutor.





Publications

  • Articles

  • Authored Books

    • Abdulai RT, Domeher D. Why Real Estate Ownership Security cannot be assured via Land Registration in Sub-Saharan Africa. New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2012.
    • Hammond FN, Abdulai RT. Costs of Land Registration in Ghana. New York, USA, 2011.
    • Abdulai RT. Traditional Landholding Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Operation of Traditional Landholding Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study of Ghana. Saarbrücken, Germany: Lambert Academic Publishing AG & CO KG, 2010.

  • Book Chapters

    • Abdulai RT, Baffour Awuah KG. Sustainability in Real Estate: Context and Concepts. In: Abdulai, RT; Baffour Awuah, KG, ed. Sustainable Real Estate in the Developing World. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021, pp.1-12.
    • Baffour Awuah KG, Abdulai RT. Sustainability in Real Estate: Conclusions and Prospects. In: Abdulai, RT; Baffour Awuah, KG, ed. Sustainable Real Estate in the Developing World. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021, pp.231-240.
    • Abdulai RT, Baffour Awuah KG. Real Estate (RE) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Ghana. In: Abdulai, RT; Baffour Awuah, KG, ed. Sustainable Real Estate in the Developing World. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021, pp.115-140.
    • Baffour Awuah KG, Abdulai RT. Housing Development in the Context of Environmental Sustainability: the Ghanaian Experience. In: Abdulai, RT; Baffour Awuah, KG, ed. Sustainable Real Estate in the Developing World. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021, pp.191-206.
    • Abdulai RT, Baffour Awuah KG. COVID-19 and Sustainability. In: Abdulai RT; Baffour Awuah KG, ed. Sustainable Real Estate in the Developing World. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021, pp.207-229.
    • Abdulai RT, Obeng-Odoom F, Ochieng EG, Maliene V. Real Estate, Construction and Economic Development: Past, Present and Future. In: Abdulai, RT; Obeng-Odoom, F; Ochieng, EG; Maliene, V, ed. Real Estate, Constrcution and Economic Development in Emerging Market Economies. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2016, pp.359-362.
    • Abdulai RT, Obeng-Odoom F, Ochieng EG, Maliene V. Real Estate, Construction and Economic Development: Context, Concepts and (inter) connections. In: Abdulai, RT; Obeng-Odoom, F; Ochieng, EG; Maliene, V, ed. Real Estate, Construction and Economic Development in Emerging Markets Economies. Abingdon, UK: Taylor & Francis, 2016, pp.1-16.
    • Abdulai RT, Owusu-Ansah A. Management of Real Estate Management Information and Economic Development in Third World Countries. In: Abdulai RT; Obeng-Odoom F; Ochieng EG; Maliene V, ed. Real Estate, Constrcution and Economic Development in Emerging Market Economies. Abingdon, UK: Taylor & Francis, 2016, pp.205-223.
    • Abdulai RT. Real Estate Concepts. In: Abdulai, RT, ed. A Compendium of International Real Estate and Construction Issues. New York, NY, USA: Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2014, pp.75-98.
    • Abdulai RT. Preface. In: Abdulai, RT, ed. A Compendium of International Real Estate and Construction Issues. New York, NY, USA: Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2014, pp.vii-viii.
    • Abdulai RT. Traditional Landownership Systems and the Housing Problem in Ghana. In: Gotsiridze-Columbus, N, ed. Housing Policy. New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2011, pp.213-219.
    • Abdulai RT. Land Registration and Poverty Reduction Ghana. In: Home, R, ed. Local Case Studies in African Land Law (Sponsored by the World Bank). Pretoria, SA: Pretoria University Law Press (PULP), 2011, pp.157–170.
    • Abdulai RT, Owusu-Ansah A. Hedonic Regression Analysis of Housing Price Determinants in Liverpool, England. In: Gotsiridze-Columbus, N, ed. Housing Policy. New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2011, pp.119-138.
    • Domeher D, Abdulai RT. Enhancing Access to Agricultural Credit through Land Registration in Developing World. In: Ruddock, L; Chynoweth, P; Egbu, C; Sutrisna, M, ed. COBRA 2011: Proceedings of RICS Construction and Property Conference – RICS International Conference. School of Built Environment, Salford University, Salford, UK: School of Built Environment, Salford University, Salford, UK, 2011, pp.1067–1075.
    • Abdulai RT, Gyamfi-Yeboah F. Emerging Economies and Secondary Mortgage Markets. In: Lombardi, SM, ed. Real Estate Investment Market. New York, USA: Nova Science Publishers Inc, 2011, pp.177–180.
    • Abdulai RT, Ndekugri IE. Indigenous Landholding Institutions as and Impediment t Economic Use of Land: Case Studies of Tamale and Bolgatanga in Ghana. In: Simons, RA; Malmgren, RM; Small, G, ed. Research Issues in Real Estate: Indigenous Peoples and Real Estate Valuation, American Real Estate Society (ARES) Research Monograph. New York, USA: Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2008, pp.19–37.
    • Abdulai RT, Antwi A. Insecurity and Uncertainty of Property Rights in Traditional Landholding Institutions in Urban Sub-Saharan Africa: Is Land Title Registration the Panacea?. In: Ruddock, L; Amaratunga, D; Aouad, G; Haigh, R; Kagioglou, M;Sexton, M, ed. 5th International Postgraduate Research Conference in the Built and Human Environment. Manchester, UK: Blackwell Publishing, 2005, pp.414-427.

  • Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

    • Owusu-Ansah A, Ohemeng-Mensah D, Abdulai RT. An Examination of Housing Contracts in Ghana: Legal versus Economic Perspectives. In: American Real Estate Society. 2016, Denver, CO, USA.
    • Dmochowski A, Abdulai RT. Impacts of New Retail Developments on Existing Inner City Shopping Centres and High Street Shops in the UK: A Review of the Literature 1980-2014. In: 8th Annual Built Environment and Natural Environment Conference. 2014, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
    • Owusu-Ansah A, Abdulai RT. Construction of Hedonic Price Indices for Development Markets: Explicit Time Variables versus Strictly Cross-Sectional Models. In: American Real Estate Society. 2014, Coronado, CA, USA.
    • Abdulai RT, Owusu-Ansah A. Relevance of YP[Dual Rate] Model in the Valuation of Leasehold Interests in Contemporary Practice in England. In: European Real Estate Society. 2013, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria.
    • Dmochowski A, Abdulai RT. New Retail Developments and their Effects on Inner City Shopping Centres and other City Centre Retail Areas: A Case Study of Liverpool One. In: 7th Annual Built Environment and Natural Environment Conference. 2013, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
    • Blay-Armah A, Andy R, Abdulai R. Contractor-subcontractor working relationships: a review of transaction costs economics and resource-based theory. In: West Africa Built Environment Research (WABER) Conference. 2013, British Council, Accra, Ghana.
    • Domeher D, Abdulai RT. Land Registration and Access to Small Enterprise Credit: Preliminary Findings. In: 19th European Real Estate Society Conference. 2012, Edinburgh, Scotland.
    • Domeher D, Abdulai RT. Land Registration as a Tool for Promoting Agricultural Investment in Africa. In: 27th Annual Conference of American Real Estate Society (ARES). 2011, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
    • Domeher D, Abdulai RT. Land Registration and Access to Formal Credit: A Comparative Study of Ghana and England. In: 5th Annual Built Environment and Natural Environment Conference. 2011, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom: Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United kingdom.
    • Khumpaisal S, Ross A, Abdulai R. Thai Real Estate Practitioners' Perception of Risks. In: 5th Annual Built Environment and Natural Environment Conference. 2010, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom: Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United kingdom.
    • Domeher D, Abdulai RT. Security of Land Rights and Sustainable Agricultural Investment in Africa. In: Annual ARCOM Doctoral Workshop on Sustainability Strategies in the UK Construction Industry. 2010, Wolverhampton University, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
    • Abdulai RT. Land Registration and Poverty Reduction in Ghana. In: World Bank Sponsored Workshop on Land, Planning and Law in African Urban Development. 2010, Kisumu, Kenya.
    • Owusu-Ansah A, Abdulai RT. An Examination of Swedish Corporate Capital Structure Policies in Real Estate and other Industries. In: 26th Annual American Real Estate Society (ARES) Conference. 2010, Naples, Florida, United States of America.
    • Abdulai RT. Does Land Registration Guarantee Access to Formal Capital for Investment?. In: 16th Annual European Real Estate Society Conference in association with International Real Estate Society and Royal Institute of Technology. 2009, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
    • Salem M, Abdulai RT. An Examination of the Attractiveness of Gulf Cooperation Council Real Estate Markets to Potential Global Real Estate Investors. In: 16th Annual European Real Estate Society Conference in association with International Real Estate Society and Royal Institute of Technology. 2009, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
    • Abdulai RT, Hammond FN. The Economic Impacts of Land Registration in the Developing World. In: African Real Estate Society Conference in Association with Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). 2008, Johannesburg, South Africa.
    • Abdulai RT. Insecurity of Traditional Land Tenure and Land Registration in Ghana. In: 23rd Annual Conference of American Real Estate Society (ARES). 2007, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
    • Abdulai RT, Ndekugri IE, Proverbs DG, Hammond FN. And Examination of the "Dead Capital" Thesis. In: Dauphine Real Estate Workshop. 2007, Dauphine University, Paris, France.
    • Abdulai RT, Ndekugri IE, Olomolaiye PO. An Examination of the Operation of Traditional Landholding Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study of Tamale in Ghana. In: 22nd Annual Conference of American Real Estate Society (ARES). 2006, Wyndham Casa Marina, Key West, Florida, USA.

  • Edited Books