Kano is unarguably the commercial capital of business enterprises in northern Nigeria as the state is accelerating to consolidate its position as the centre of commerce and the preferred business destination
One of the projects used to portray the image of the state globally is the Kano Economic City project When completed and functional, it is expected to drive innovation and competitiveness.
The Kano Economic City project, located at Dangwauro Town along Kano-Zaria Highway, being built on 117 hectares of land with expected 80,000 square metres of warehouse and 12,000 shops and stalls, will change the pattern of commercial activities in the ancient by decongesting the prime areas in the city, turning Kano to a truly urbanised mega city
The economic city is planned to have a pharmaceutical market equipped with duplex suites, customised warehouse and loading bay; a textile market with food court and pay toilets; logistics hub with parking spaces, hotels/motels, trailer park and pay toilets; Kanawa Container Terminal and KEC arena with walk path, 5 aside soccer pitches, indoor games and a viewing centre
The pharmaceutical market known as Coordinated Wholesale Centre has two blocks of two-storey buildings (A and B) completed and occupiedBlocks C and D are also completed and provided with basement but not yet occupied.
Block E is nearing completion and construction is expected to commence for block F
Pharmaceutical companies have all relocated to the Coordinated Wholesale Centre after it was commissioned by the then Minister of Health Dr Osagie Enahire in February 2023.There are a total of 384 shops for each block (A-E) at Kanawa Pharmaceutical market.
Regulatory and security agencies like the National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have their offices in the CWC in order to oversee activities at the market
The CWC is a positive development towards the fight against the proliferation of adulterated and counterfeit drugs as well as substance abuse particularly among youth in Kano
The next phase of the Kano Economic City project is the ICT hub where the GSM market, provided with 731 non-duplex shops on the ground floor and 584 shops on the first floor, is expected to attract more than 2000 shop owners
The ICT hub of the city is, however, not completed but works have reached advanced stages of completion
The market is projected to have Agric Hub with Commodity Exchange market, inputs and Agro-allied, Agric Research and Development, Silos among others However, no development has commenced on this part of the market.
The Kano Economic City’s Textile expected to begin where the famous Kantin Kwari market stops is another feature of the long vision of the project
For this part of the project, work is not progressing as planned as only few structures for the market are in place and it will require a substantial investment to complete
The textile market when completed will be hosting an annual shopping festival to attract people from all over Nigeria and beyond
A modern police station is built within the project site with an NSCDC outpost provided to ensure security provision in and around the market
Jaiz Bank, the new partner of the project developer, has opened a new branch which is already servicing the banking needs of shop owners currently in the market
A temporary trailer park is observed to be working with trucks coming in and out of the market with revenue collectors mounting the toll gate of the parkTrailers are paying N1,000 toll fees. Work is progressing at the main trailer park.
The Kanawa Trailer Terminal is completed and functional with a logistics company subcontracted to run it
DrAbdullahi Gambo, the Project Director told our reporter that the project developers, Brains and Hammers, took over the project in 2017 and have moved to the project its present status after suffering delays and inactivity in the past.
The Project Director said the ICT hub of the market will in the next few months be completed and open to GSM business operators who are very keen on the investment and other business opportunities offered by the market
He said the delay suffered by the textile market was largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic but that Brains and Hammers have been engaging with the Kantin Kwari Market Association with a view to mobilising resources for completion of the market which will help ease movements of goods with its modern facilities
Brains and Hammers, he said, have also engaged Chinese investors to set up an industrial hub as part of the project which he added enjoys the support of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf whose goodwill and personal support are inestimable
According to him, the project was conceived by IDIS consortium led by one Alhaji Maikudi with Alhaji Salisu Sambajo,Alhaji Sabiu Bako and Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu among others during the first tenure of Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso but the project commenced during the Ibrahim Shekarau administration with Oceanic bank as the major financier of the project It suffered from delays and setback following the financial crisis that engulfed the bank during this period.
With the takeover by Brains and Hammers,he said ,all outstanding liabilities and legal issues were resolved with the understanding that all stakeholders would have stakes in the project
The project, with expected 500,000 direct and indirect jobs during its lifespan, is part of efforts to decongest the city of heavy vehicular traffic, movement of goods and services, curb incessant fire outbreaks in some of the city’s markets
It is also a new approach by the Kano state government through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to improve the quality of the urban setting through the relocation of numerous commercial activities that clogged up the city into a more distinct and new revenue generation scheme and is expected to provide space for new functions to boost economic activities in the city and facilitate the African Continental free Trade Areas