By James Eze ([email protected])
Certain traits come natural to certain people. From time immemorial, Ndi Anambra have blazed the trail in trade and commerce across the West African sub-region. Onitsha is reputed to host the largest market in West Africa, recording about three million visitors daily. Nnewi on the other hand is fast emerging the country’s auto-city; Nigeria’s equivalent of America’s Detroit, Michigan. All over Anambra, markets are springing up every day. From Afor-Igwe Umudioka to Ekwulobia and from Umunze to Ihiala, Anambra ripples with commerce.
However, for a very long time, there was no serious organisation of these markets in a manner that took account of the possibilities of their future growth. At least, not until Governor Willie Obiano ascended to power.
As would be expected, trade and commerce is an important component of Obiano’s economic blueprint. Essentially though, Obiano’s objective in trade and commerce is to ensure that Anambra retains its historic place, as the leading hub for trade and commerce in West Africa and beyond.
To achieve this, he figured that he would have to create an institution to be known as the Anambra State Markets Agency (ASMA) to rehabilitate, construct and regulate trade activities in major markets across the state.
Interestingly, in three years, Obiano has completed and commissioned the Onitsha Shopping Mall and created a conducive environment for other privately owned malls to spring up in different parts of the state. These are the things the governor has done in this crucial sector at a glance… He has initiated a N610m choose-your-project scheme for the 61 markets in the state; disbursed the sum of N500m to small businesses in the state through the Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA); attracted Roban Stores (a fast spreading middle class mall) to set up shop in Awka, built a beautiful network of roads in Oba International Market; designed a policy framework for the entrenchment of e-commerce; organised the first joint trade fair to be hosted by Onitsha, Awka and Nnewi Chambers of Commerce; constructed sanitary facilities to improve hygiene in the markets and conducted capacity building programmes in financial literacy for traders in Onitsha and Nnewi with the assistance of DFID, among many other landmark achievements.
The truth is that there is so much potential for commerce in Anambra State and it is almost evident that this is yet another goldmine, waiting to be fully exploited. That is why it is heart-warming to see that Obiano is not only putting the traders through a training on financial literacy but also looking at what role e-commerce might play in the future of Anambra’s numerous bustling markets.
All things considered, what is fast becoming clearer in Anambra State is the fact that the future is finally here. Obiano’s N10m per market initiative, which is intended to give the leadership of the various markets the resources to develop the markets, is like a shot in the arm to an industry that is already self-motivated. The enormous benefits of this encouragement are truly easy to see.