200 new holiday apartments for sale on the west coast.

By Andrea Tapper

Known as The Soul, Zanzibar’s first residential resort continues its unique success story. After selling out in Paje on the east coast, the holiday apartments go west. In Fumba Town buyers can even opt for a new move-in-pay-later scheme.

It’s one of the rare rainy days in paradise. Raining cats and dogs actually, when Milan Heilmann takes me around The Soul in Paje. Since 2019, the project manager of developer CPS has been supervising the construction of Zanzibar’s first residential resort, only 300 metres walking distance from the famous kite surfing beach. Now it’s almost complete. 

On sunny days the scene here looks like this: young couples return from the beach, store their SUPs and surfboards before entering their lofty apartments through a garden door. Palm trees create a soft shade while a beautiful woman in her forties relaxes on her penthouse terrace, her husband mixing some drinks inside. And thanks to the monsoon rains, a lush tropical garden is already embracing the eleven apartment blocks in Paje’s hinterland, most of them fully finished and rentable (see box), some under finalisation. Pointing at palm trees, colourful bougeanivilla, banana trees and a gangling bamboo forest, project manager Heilmann, 32, summarises the resort’s philosophy: “Modern living in tropical surroundings.” The breaking news is, that after the completion of the east coast Soul, the residential resort will get a twin sister on the west coast in the urban setting of eco city Fumba Town. 200 holiday apartments – about the same amount as in Paje – with one to three bedrooms are planned. 

The Soul is an entirely new player within the tourism landscape for several reasons. It’s the first large scale holiday apartment complex in Zanzibar. Foreigners are entitled to buy here. In Fumba Town, near the capital, buyers even get additional benefits: a residency permit and a five year payment plan, starting at around 1,200 dollars per month. ”You will be able to move into and enjoy your apartment even before finishing payments”, explains Tobias Dietzold, one of the directors of developer CPS. Prices for 1-3 bedroom apartments and penthouses range from 67,900 dollars to 250,900 dollars. And there’s another plus to the soulfoul holiday residences: designed by Spanish architect Lucas Oyteza, they implement a hybrid, sustainable wood construction technology, a big plus for climate conscious travellers. 

Best holidays near Stone Town Sold-out in record time in Paje, “we want to give holidaymakers of all ages now the chance to purchase a Soul apartment in Fumba”, CPS directors Sebastian and Tobias Dietzold said when launching the look-alikes. Soul Fumba is close to the airport and Stone Town, embedded in urban infrastructure and has glorious west coast sunsets. CPS is a local company with German background and has sold more houses and apartments in Zanzibar than any other company. Both Soul projects nestle around a large lagoon, the ultimate relax area exclusively for residents. The sale of has just commenced, with first buyers coming actually from Paje – apparently convinced not only of the twin project’s charm but similarities. 

When launching the new touristic hot spot, Tobias Dietzold elaborated: “Fumba Town is a mixed-used urban centre and will now be complemented with the beautiful holiday apartments of The Soul which will add even more variety to the green urban community.” Eventually 20,000 people will live in the growing suburb along 1,5 kilometres seafront. Other than the north and east coast beaches, Fumba is only a 20-minute drive away from the airport and Stone Town. A sports centre is also planned on the sunset coast, where more and more developments are taking place. Go west! Booming tourism in Zanzibar, it seems, has found a new darling location.

[Fumba Town, 04.06. 2023] - CPS is delighted to announce its partnership with the African School of Economics (ASE), spearheaded by Prof Leonard Wantchekon, the esteemed President and Founder. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the development of Fumba Town as plans are underway to establish a university and research labs within the vibrant community. The esteemed Prof Wantchekon visited Fumba Town today, where both parties agreed to work towards opening the university and welcoming the first batch of 1,000 students in September 2024.

The partnership between CPS and ASE represents a shared vision to create a world-class educational institution in Fumba Town. The university will offer a comprehensive range of programs across various disciplines, providing students with quality education that combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills. Additionally, the research labs will foster a culture of innovation and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in key areas of interest.

Sebastian Dietzold, CEO of CPS, expressed his excitement about the collaboration, stating, "It is a tremendous honor to host Prof Leonard Wantchekon and work together towards establishing a university in Fumba Town. This initiative will not only enhance the educational landscape of the region but also provide a platform for aspiring students to acquire a transformative learning experience. We are dedicated to supporting the development of Fumba Town as an intellectual hub and fostering academic excellence."

Prof Leonard Wantchekon shared his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, "I am delighted to collaborate with CPS in bringing the African School of Economics to Fumba Town. Our shared vision of providing quality education and promoting research aligns perfectly with the objectives of this collaboration. We look forward to welcoming the first cohort of students and contributing to the intellectual and economic growth of the region."

The establishment of the university and research labs in Fumba Town signifies a significant step towards realizing the potential of the region as an educational and research hub. CPS and ASE are committed to creating an environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, innovation, and academic excellence, attracting students from across the African continent and beyond.

[Oman, 30.05.2023] - CPS, in collaboration with Fumba Town Development, is thrilled to announce the recent signing of a cooperation agreement with MSKN Company, paving the way for the marketing of CPS properties in the Sultanate of Oman and the Middle East. The significant milestone was marked by an esteemed event hosted by the Chamber of Commerce & Industry Oman, in the presence of distinguished guests, including the Zanzibar Chamber of Commerce, HE Ambassador Kilima, and esteemed investors from Oman.

The signing ceremony, which took place on [Date], underscored the growing interest and investment opportunities in Zanzibar. CPS and Fumba Town Development, with their extensive expertise and commitment, are dedicated to facilitating a secure, safe, and successful investment environment for prospective clients. With a proven track record of serving more than 1,000 clients from over 50 countries, CPS aims to provide a reliable platform for individuals and businesses seeking to invest in Zanzibar.

"We are truly honored to have been hosted by the prestigious Chamber of Commerce & Industry Oman, witnessing the signing of the cooperation agreement," said Sebastian Dietzold, CEO of CPS. "This agreement not only strengthens our presence in the Middle East but also signifies the immense potential Zanzibar holds for investors. Our team at CPS is working tirelessly on the ground to ensure a seamless and rewarding investment experience, just as we have done for our diverse clientele worldwide."

Zanzibar, with its unique blend of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and thriving business landscape, presents a prime opportunity for investment. CPS, together with Fumba Town Development, invites individuals and businesses from the Middle East and beyond to explore the exciting prospects that Zanzibar offers. With a deep understanding of the local market and a commitment to excellence, CPS is poised to deliver exceptional real estate opportunities and contribute to the growth and development of the region.

Austrian company revolutionises construction in Zanzibar

It started out as a humble family sawmill and became one of the world’s biggest and ambitious timber manufacturers - now active in Zanzibar. 

The Binderholz company, founded in the idyllic green hills of Austria, has become one of the partnering firms in Fumba Town, constructing timber houses exclusively with local Zanzibari and Tanzanian workers. “It was amazing to see how quickly the team on the Fumba construction side adapted to use our timber products”, remarked Binderholz engineer Wolfgang Hebenstreit when he recently came here to supervise the first assembly of a new timber house 

6300 employees worldwide 

The company is considered ‘the Mercedes of wood producers’ worldwide, its history is unique. It was 70 years ago, when Franz Binder senior turned his passion for wood into a profession, opening a tiny sawmill business in the mountains of Austria. Today, in the third generation, his company has become the leading European wood company, with its headquarters still in the town of Fuegen in Austria but with 60 other production sites and 6,300 employees in Europe and the US, all sharing the founder’s passion for wood. It has taken over firms in Finland, Florida, Britain and Latvia and built hundreds of residential, public and commercial buildings all over the world from Singapore to Cuba, among them amazing structures like a water park the size of 63 football fields in Germany. How could a family-owned company grow so vastly? For one, wood has a renaissance. With growing environmental awareness all over the world, the oldest building material in the world has turned into the construction material of the future. “And we stand for a sustainable, intelligent use of the raw material wood and act according to the zero waste principle”, engineer Hebenstreit explained. 

60 million people in Dar?

This includes the entire value chain from the cultivation of seedlings and forest management to timber harvesting and processing in the sawmills, from simple shelves and planks for the do-it-yourself sector to affordable housing. Contrary to what one may think, although the wood industry is immensely growing, forests are not diminishing. Austria has more forest than 30 years ago, and wood reserves grow by four million cubic metres every year, statistics say. Waste wood at Binderholz is processed into densified biofuels, green electricity and pressboard pallets. “We re-utilise 100 percent of the renewable raw material wood”, Hebenstreit explained. “It is all about responsibility for mother earth”, Fumba Town developer Sebastian Dietzold said. “With huge urbanisation in Africa, and Dar es Salaam expected to have an incredible 60 million inhabitants by 2100, we cannot continue to build only with concrete”, he added. Today in Africa 56 million homes are lacking. Building with timber may jump-start a forest industry in Tanzania, it is hoped. There is already an agroforestry area twice the size of New York near Iringa.

SMALL, CHIC SISTER Where the rich and beautiful holiday

No mass tourism, no cars – that’s the most visible difference between Zanzibar and Lamu, both ancient Swahili settlements along the East African coast. We Texplored what the hidden beauty offers today.

light effects. A group of jolly visitors is boarding a dhow taxi to commute from Shela, the village of western palatial residences, to the island’s main settlement Lamu Town – a UNESCO heritage site, as Stone Town in Zanzibar. For many regulars it’s Lamu revisit- ed. The archipelago off the Kenyan coast, about 180km north of Mombasa, has been on the travel trail much longer than Zanzibar. “By the late 60s and early 70s Lamu became famous for its reputation as an exotic, remote and self-contained society. It became Kenya’s Kathmandu”, says Carol Korschen, owner of the legendary Peponi Hotel in Shela, “it was the end of the African Hippie trail and a stop-over on the way to India”. We are sitting on her iconic hotel’s terrace, situated at the beginning of 12 kilometres of sand dunes and beach. The beach area used to be totally uninhabited; nowadays more and more buildings in dune pockets are endangering the water supply of the island’s fragile eco-system.

Classy and casual

Opened in 1967 by the Korschen family from Denmark, Peponi is an institution. With 28 rooms and a top restaurant if offers a mature mix of classy and casual only to be found in safari-savvy Kenya. Guests and village inhabitants, foreign and local, mingle on the terrace. Whether you’d need a room, a guide or a party invitation, you’ll find it here. Lamu has the bohemian vibe of Spanish island Ibiza in its early, quieter days; it’s a close-knit society of cosmopolitan locals and visitors dealing with each other on eye level. When one of the two Korschen daughters married just before Corona hit, a “Mama Mia”- like Swahili wedding for 1800 guests was celebrated under the stars.

There’s lot’s to do and see in Lamu although the island is less than 13 by six kilometres large. The Omani-built Lamu Fort and a beautiful museum exhibit modern and traditional artefacts. Abdullahi Sultan guides us on a tour through the alleyways of Lamu Town, inhabited by about 20,000 people, and explains that the labyrinthine streets are built upward along a slope, letting the rains wash the city clean.

As if remotely controlled, around 3000 Donkeys haul tomatoes, coconuts and baskets of building materials from the port to town. We doze off in the shade of Makuti thatched roof terraces of proud city palaces. The grand mansions made of coral stone allow the wind to circulate pleasantly, testifying to high architectural art. Lamu flourished under 200 years of Omani rule until the end of the 19th century, just like Zanzibar. Typical vidaka lime stone carvings and neeru walls are trademarks of richly decorated palaces. The sheer beauty has attracted foreign investors and celebrities among them the Peugeot family, London photo agent Katy Barker and German Prince Ernst August of Hanover. The holiday spot, close to Somalia, has never developed mass tourism – it’s just too hard to get there. From a small airport located on neighbouring Manda island, one of 65 islets forming the archipelago, new arrivals are brought over by boat.

Resilient diversity

Residents and regular visitors say, they feel safe on Lamu despite earlier local Islamist insurgencies in the area. Herbert Menzel, a relative newcomer and well-known German entrepreneur from Hamburg, has built and restored four houses in Lamu since 2006. „I simply fell in love with the atmosphere and the aesthetics of Swahili design“, says the art expert who has enriched Lamu with a bi-annual „Hat Festival“ and a hand-illustrated map of Shela and its 90, mostly western holiday homes and boutiques – a help- ful orientation for a small, but rapidly growing cosmos.

Beach clean-ups pay school fees

The Kawa Training Center has educated more than 1000 tour guides, receptionists and chefs over the years. “We’ve got an army out there”, says director Suzanne Degeling.

The Kawa Training Center has educated more than 1000 tour guides, receptionists and chefs over the years. “We’ve got an army out there”, says director Suzanne Degeling. The day is still young, the air crispy. Along the city beach of Zanzibar, where Livingstone dwellers will have their sundowners in the evening, young men and women, wearing gloves and carrying recycling bags, slowly scan the sand for plastic and other waste that the sea and careless humans have left behind. They are earning their school fees that way. But assuming they’d dislike their morning duty would be an error. To the contrary: “We enjoy starting our day like that”, one of the girls says who wants to become a receptionist. Ibrahim, dreaming of a position as a chef, agrees: “It teaches you about life and the environment. It clears your mind.” Their self-made recycling bags have three chambers; one for fabrics, flip-flops and other reusable leftovers, which they will turn into earrings and doormats at their own upcycling station; one for “gold” as the teacher calls sellable plastic caps of water bottles, and one for simple waste. Rubbish bins and containers for plastic and “Konyagi” bottles - a popular cheap drink in Zanzibar - have been deployed along a four kilometre stretch of beach from the ferry port to Kilimani with the help of the Kawa institute. 60 students collect around 300 kilogrammes of waste. Every day. 

They study housekeeping, cooking, accounting, tour guiding and other entrepreneurial skills mainly for the tourism sector. The courses last 15 months. Part of the school fees – TZS100,000 or $40 monthly – are waived against the beach cleaning. Director Suzanne Degeling, who founded the Kawa Training Centre in 2010, has brought her dog along today and says, she continues the green morning exercise even on Sundays: “It’s somehow addictive.” But then, Dutch-born Degeling, a tall and slender woman of words more than of deeds, is not your typical social worker either. Every fisherman, every beach boy and every tour guide in Stone Town knows and respects her. She has brought up two children in Zanzibar and has lived in Hurumzi for 18 years. Her business is to enable young Zanzibari to start their own business. She keeps the student ratio strictly 50:50 for boys and girls. 

Does she make a difference? 

Can her input be measured? Is it lasting? Non-Governmental-Organisations (NGO’s) and other development agencies are increasingly facing though questions. Kawa is financed partly by the TUI Care Foundation, a social responsibility program of Europe’s largest travel operator. In 10 years Kawa has educated 1000 young people in English, communication skills, e-learning, bike mechanics for an off-shoot business and as cooks. “We have got an army out there”, says Degeling. “Whenever I visit a hotel, I see a student of ours working as cook, guide or in housekeeping there.” But it’s still the old malaise: only a third of hotel employees are Zanzibari, although youth unemployment is higher than 33 per cent. The majority of waiters, receptionists and office staff come from mainland Tanzania or even from Kenya. Why is that so? Language deficits, lack of education and cultural barriers – families still resisting employment of their daughters in the tourism industry – play a role. “We start at a very, very low level”, says director Degeling. 

Barefoot lessons 

On a typical school day in the historical school premises in a merchant building in Kiponda, “research skills” is the next lesson: “Be critical about the information you get”, says teacher Degeling. The class room windows are open, the students are barefoot, the noise of Stone Town hardly enters this oasis of learning. In an adjacent room, guest teacher Leslie, one of 12 teachers and staff, lectures business skills, here renamed life skills. “What is profit, what is loss?”, she asks. What makes the director happy? “Meeting my ex-students everywhere, having families, having houses.” The Kawa system works.

Friday 28, 2023 – FUMBA Town: Tanzania's fastest-selling real estate development has celebrated the joy of giving with 237 special needs families living in Unguja Magharibi B District of Zanzibar.    

Presenting food packages to the special needs families from Dimani and Nyamanzi villages, Alfred Vendeline - Deputy Chief Operations Officer CPS, said that the support is part of the community development strategy by the firm. 

"CPS is committed to finding fresh and original ways to engage the communities around us so that they can be part of our growth and story of sustainability. Besides our investments and activities that directly support the community, Fumba Town also offers full-time and contractual employment to hundreds of Tanzanians - most of them local residents. This secures a good livelihood for them, their families and the community at large," he said.   

He elaborated that handing food items to families, especially those in need in the villages surrounding the town, aims to support their food security and wraps up the CPS community engagement activities for the Ramadan and Easter season. The guest of honour at the event, held at The Pavillion Commercial Centre in Fumba Town, was the District Commissioner for Unguja Magharibi B, Hamida Mussa.                 

"I encourage everyone, businesses and private individuals alike, to come forward and emulate this fine example set by Fumba Town. We all need to join hands and support those with special needs in our communities so that everyone can share in the country's economic growth," she said.

She also lauded Fumba Town for transforming the district's infrastructure, economic and cultural outlook. "This multi-million-dollar, multinational investment project has attracted different people from different countries to purchase and enjoy affordable residential and holiday homes in Zanzibar, resulting in the rapid transformation of roads, water, electricity and other social amenities in this area. In addition, it has opened up economic opportunities for local residents and everyone across Zanzibar," she enthused.

CPS Fumba Town develops environmentally sustainable, affordable, ultra-modern, high-quality homes to fit its multinational residents' diverse tastes, budgets and styles.  

The unique development is a springboard for individuals and families from Tanzania and across the globe to own an affordable, distinctive, modern home on the west coast of Zanzibar. With a growing community of over 1,000 homeowners from 57 different countries, Fumba Town offers its residents a safe, sustainable, multinational, multicultural and multi-generational environment to live, work and evolve. The prominent development is located just 15km from the airport and 18 km from Zanzibar City.

END

Bringing Charm Back to Stone Town

Italian-born Francesca Scalfari has a passion for Zanzibar and a great talent for design – her newest endeavour, a modern boutique hotel in a historic building, combines both.

A Stone Town renovation can take many different turns, and many wrong ones - from careless modernisation to low-budget improvisation to opulent stuffiness. The Sharazad Wonder is different. With the right dose of subtlety and freshness, it brings the charm back to Stone Town. A nude-pink colour scheme, lots of traditional Neeru wall plastering and concrete floors set the tone for a stylish, but not overdone new Stone Town experience. And surely here, on Gizenga Street 351/352, the guest is in the midst of it. Nowhere gets the historical quarter denser. Just like in Naples or Marrakesh, one can open a window and almost touch the house façade on the other side of the narrow street. 

Story of nationalisation

The intimate boutique hotel with eight rooms on three floors was officially opened with a cosy reception and many illustrious guests last December. History was tangible. “They must have overlooked this building”, revealed the original owner, Masoud Al Riyami, present for the occasion. Of 62 houses his grandfather possessed in the area, the vast majority was nationalised during the 1964 revolution. Is he bitter? “But no”, Riyami  says, “who knows if I would have had the same education I received in Oman here in Zanzibar?” 

As many citizens, he has meanwhile returned to the motherland, dividing his time between the countries. It makes him happy, he said, to see the house, listed in town documents as early as 1927, being turned into a fine boutique hotel.

4 years, 3 architects

It took “four years and three architects” to bring the historical building back to life, says Francesca Scalfari, who also owns the Wonders boutique on the ground floor, a long-time favourite of Zanzibar expats and visitors, now with a branch at the airport, too. In the light and airy hotel rooms, some with beautiful balconies, local kanga material used for pillow cases and western design bedside lamps harmonise perfectly. “We want to be in harmony with our surroundings”, says Scalfari, who lives in Zanzibar with her husband Simon and son Luca. 

The courtyard, a firmer school yard,  hosts the excellent in-house restaurant. Two towers of the iconic St. Joseph Catholic cathedral can be seen from some of the spacey guest rooms. Family rooms, double and single rooms are offered. At 8 pm, when guests settle for dinner with delicious calamari and cauliflower puree, the call of the muezzin is heard - you are in the heart of heritage!

Welcome to your new home, let's unpack the excitement of relocating and starting your new life in one of the leading beach destinations in Africa, the Zanzibar Archipelago. Living on the island is all about lifestyle, imagine waking up every day to the sound of the waves and the smell of salty crisp air.

The soon-to-be-constructed eco-property in Fumba Town, the Vizazi Oasis is your ultimate blend of bespoke! From the moment you step into the property, you'll be greeted by an atmosphere of warmth and sophistication. The Vizazi Oasis is designed with your comfort, and flexibility in mind, featuring ample natural light, open floor plans, and modern appliances.

The Vizazi Oasis is a collection of impeccably crafted timber-based properties with multiple functional living spaces and a variety of room/layout configurations that can be customized and adapted to your home-office needs.

Living in a timber constructed property also has surprising health benefits. Exposure to natural materials like timber can reduce stress levels and improve overall well-being. So if you're looking for a home that's not only beautiful but also good for your health, Vizazi Oasis is it.

The unique architectural finishes and elegant interior details are what make the Vizazi Oasis a prime location in the heart of the leading beach destination in Africa, the Zanzibar Archipelago.

From the impressive array of green gardens that are perfectly sized for BBQs, workcations, and options for innumerable entertainment activities. This property is a must-own for anyone looking for beachfront paradise.

So why not embrace the beauty of the ocean and make beachfront living your next adventure?

Conference, held in Portland, USA. The founding Partner for OMT Architects, Leander Moons, highlighted the availability of timber in the African context and the opportunities of using this material in a more sustainable way to tackle the challenges resulting from demographic development in Africa.

The presentation showcased high-quality and landmark projects, such as Fumba Town, which demonstrate how timber can be used to create equitable and more sustainable housing solutions. The projects, which include the Moyoni and Vizazi Townhouses, are exemplary of OMT's goal to promote the use of timber within the affordable market.

The CheiChei Living project, a multi-family 4-story apartment building complex, is the next step in OMT's development, followed by the Burj Zanzibar as a hybrid-timber tower. The experience gained from the previous projects has resulted in the further development of more complex and larger timber buildings, which would not have been possible without the experience gained from earlier projects, both in planning and production and assembly.

From a design and sustainability perspective, mass timber offers numerous benefits for high-rise construction. Mass timber is one of the more sustainable building materials available, and through careful planning, its use can be optimized. The combination of traditional and engineered timber systems is the most effective way forward to enable a more sustainable construction industry.

OMT Architects recognizes that the demand for timber as a construction material needs to grow before challenges in the local timber value chain can be overcome. OMT's projects in Africa aim to create more awareness of the potential for mass timber in construction, and to support local value chains to empower local communities and support local wealth creation while limiting transportation and importing impacts.

CPS is one of the partners that OMT is working with on its Moyoni, Vizazi, and Burj Zanzibar projects. 

"CPS's vision to develop urban and residential solutions for a sustainable future have been instrumental in the collaboration with OMT architects. Their expertise, embedded in the local communities, and commitment to engineered timber construction systems enabled the success of these sustainable projects."

Leander Moons' message to other architects and builders who may be considering mass timber as a construction material is clear: we all have a responsibility to transform the construction industry into a more sustainable sector. By building new houses in a more sustainable way, with the help of timber and mass timber, we can contribute to the development of a more sustainable building industry, use locally available materials and craftsmanship, and empower people in Africa and beyond.

OMT Architects' innovative approach to mass timber construction in Africa is creating a sustainable legacy that promotes a new era of construction. Through landmark projects such as Fumba Town, Moyoni, Vizazi, and Burj Zanzibar, OMT Architects is demonstrating that mass timber can provide a viable, sustainable solution to the growing demand for housing in Africa.