The Anambra government said on Thursday that work would start on the proposed N50 billion West Africa Trade Centre at Ogbunike, near Onitsha which will hopefully create over 25,000 jobs in November.


The trade centre, sited at Ogbunike junction on the Onitsha-Enugu road, would help decongest markets in Onitsha.
The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mr Robert Okonkwo, told newsmen during the site clearing of the 50-hectare land that the centre would create 25,000 jobs and provide a first-class one-stop business environment for the West African sub-region.


He noted that the first phase of the project would be ready in six months after its inauguration.
“The state government has acquired well-sited and choice 50 hectares of land for the project at the two in one Louis Odumegwu-Ojukwu complex in Ogbunike community, which is just after Onitsha town.

“The centre will be constructed in phases. It will have more than 100 blocks of shopping malls with modern facilities like eateries, offices, bonded warehouse, hotels, car park and a police post.

The President of the Consolidated Market Unions in Anambra, Chief Obiorah Onyema, urged Gov. Peter Obi to invest in the centre as a mean of poverty alleviation.

“Gov. Obi is encouraged to see if he would possibly acquire 4000 shops in the centre and distribute same to women and unemployed graduates selected from the 177 communities in the state, who are interested in being self-employed.
“They should be allowed to pay back the cost of the shops in a period of 10 years with 10 per cent interest on the value of the stores at the end of the payment period as government equity.

“This will uplift more than 4000 families from poverty due to the multiplier effect that such gesture will have on families, especially if majority of the beneficiaries are women,'' Onyema said.

Seven banks have indicated interest to finance the project due to its high profitability forecast


source:http://www.thenigerianvoice.com/nvnews/127955/1/n50b-west-african-trade-centre-in-ogbunike-to-crea.html

Mods.... Front page

Ogbunike my hometown. I hope it become a reality.

i hope it is a private funded project....don't trust governments with these type of projects.

Nna eh, sometime I wonder why Peter Obi didn't start these projects 3 or 4 years ago. By now kidnapping would have disappeared from my beloved state.
Well, I hope this is real, and I have every reason to remain incredulous.

Onlytruth: Nna eh, sometime I wonder why Peter Obi didn't start these projects 3 or 4 years ago. By now kidnapping would have disappeared from my beloved state.
Well, I hope this is real, and I have every reason to remain incredulous.

i have read the article well and i do not think it is govt funded....the last sentence say seven banks have indicated interest to fund it.

asha 80: i have read the article well and i do not think it is govt funded....the last sentence say seven banks have indicated interest to fund it.

If it is purely private sector funded, then it will be purely market rate property development, and poor jobless graduates may not benefit from it directly unless the government buys some stake. They can benefit indirectly though through employment.
BTW I love private initiatives like these.

The other way the government can be involved is to require them to set aside a certain percentage of the place for the poor.
Here in the states, it is usually 25% or less.

Mods......front page

Onlytruth: The other way the government can be involved is to require them to set aside a certain percentage of the place for the poor.
Here in the states, it is usually 25% or less.

here are earlier articles on the same issue http://thenationonlineng.net/new/anambra-firm-partner-on-n50b-market/ http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/09/w-africa-trade-centre-to-come-on-stream/ http://telegraphng.com/2013/08/anambra-to-build-n50b-trade-centre/

Onlytruth: The other way the government can be involved is to require them to set aside a certain percentage of the place for the poor.
Here in the states, it is usually 25% or less.

How much you have given to the poor lately? Individual businesses are not charitable organizations.. It's govt job to help fresh graduates and job seekers through cooperative loans, soft loans and subsidies not for private businesses to give away 25%. What's the function of govt in Naija?

Mods..,,.fp

Wonderful News!

ferdsmart: Mods..,,.fp

^^^Dude, you're wasting your time! It's not negative news on Princess Stellar or Ndigbo, so you'll shout yourself hoarse for nothing!

This is good, but what makes this a West African trade centre?


It sounds like its just a shopping area for Onitsha, not even the whole SE region, country or even West African sub-region. They should actually make it a free trade zone type trade centre for all in West Africa. They should be selling the concept to the sub-region and thinking in those terms for real.

Obi and Anambra state govt should be thinking about production.Anambra will benefit more if that money is channelled into agriculture etc.

Pls give us some better news which isnt about beer production or acquiring lands for the purpose of building stalls.

Wtf is trade centre..they will end up creating another onitsha main market around ogbunike,and what will they be selling??..young men will travel round the world inporting cheap goods to Anambra.

When we are hungry,we travel to northern nigeria for foods,yams,tomatoes,meat..name it.
Why cant people like obi think about massive food production in anambra.

Is it a crime if other parts of nigeria travel down to anambra to buy agric goods.

Why must it be about building cheap and sub standard market stalls at exaggerated costs and calling it modern shopping malls.

Why cant these people think like people like innoson??

We have enough breweries to make the whole world drunk and we have enough markets down south.

Let them invest in industries,Anambra should not be turned into a mega market.

gbosaa: Obi and Anambra state govt should be thinking about production.Anambra will benefit more if that money is channelled into agriculture etc.

Pls give us some better news which isnt about beer production or acquiring lands for the purpose of building stalls.

Wtf is trade centre..they will end up creating another onitsha main market around ogbunike,and what will they be selling??..young men will travel round the world inporting cheap goods to Anambra.

When we are hungry,we travel to northern nigeria for foods,yams,tomatoes,meat..name it.
Why cant people like obi think about massive food production in anambra.

Is it a crime if other parts of nigeria travel down to anambra to buy agric goods.

Why must it be about building cheap and sub standard market stalls at exaggerated costs and calling it modern shopping malls.

Why cant these people think like people like innoson??

We have enough breweries to make the whole world drunk and we have enough markets down south.

Let them invest in industries,Anambra should not be turned into a mega market.

Time to put your money where your mouth is! Let's start from u

Mods......fp

This is good news, instead of shops scattered every where they will be in one section, creating room for beautification and structuring the trade center, creating a modern day market. Commissioner Robert Okonkwo is really doing a excellent job, he brokered the Shop Rite deal and has ushered in so many investors in the state. This is a prime example of an NID coming home and using his education and experience from abroad to further the progress of our state. If you want to invest this is the man you need to see. He was instrumental in helping us take our business to another level. I wish he was the one running for Governor.

This is exactly what we had the meeting about 6 months ago helping students and women with micro financing to become self employed. Whom ever makes it to Ziks house the citizens must be proactive in building our state to its greatness. Responsible leaders can only lead those that hold them responsible!

Another market that will end up selling mostly imported products. Why not concenterate on manufacturing?

collynzo2: Another market that will end up selling mostly imported products. Why not concenterate on manufacturing?

who builds industires?

Doesn't a thread like this have front page worthiness..?

Chino72: Doesn't a thread like this have front page worthiness..?

You guys need to calm down, this is just another market wtf? We need to raise our standards high, Igbo political leaders are having an easy ride.

Anything 'south east' is hogwash.. next!

Dem never build the trade center oh but dem don start to "quote" how many mouths it would feed

Action first then talk later.

So Obi just woke up to his visions now that his time is almost up? He's got all these pretty visions all these while and he didn't care to implement them or is he trying to pile up pressure for the incoming Governor? All na Naija politics anyway.

collynzo2: Another market that will end up selling mostly imported products. Why not concenterate on manufacturing?

Help me tell them..

Election time greek gift from peter obi,where was all this plans for 7 and half years.same old tactics he used in 2010 where he littered the towns and villages with tractors but immediately he won the election,the tractors disappeared.he want to tell ogbunike people vote 4 apga and this project will be completed,tell peter obi people are wiser now

We are in need of thirty nine 20 Tonnages trucks (Box body-Tractor) to convey our light products such as: DAIPERS, KETCHUP, et cetera.

The job is a continous one as we distribute from Lagos (our Head Quarters) across Nigeria to our various warehouses (Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Benue, Kogi, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Edo, Delta, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara, Anambra, Rivers, Ogun, etcetera).

for details
Call: 0803-054-6462
Cyrusjesunifemi@gmail.com
-Pastor Cyrus Jesunifemi.

Desric: So Obi just woke up to his visions now that his time is almost up? He's got all these pretty visions all these while and he didn't care to implement them or is he trying to pile up pressure for the incoming Governor? All na Naija politics anyway.

In so many words he's saying "If you want this to happen, vote Willie"

Wet'isi wer'isi

Heh heh heh

collynzo2: You guys need to calm down, this is just another market wtf? We need to raise our standards high, Igbo political leaders are having an easy ride.

^^^Not from where i'm standing!

Nothing Obi has done so far has impressed me, and i say it as i see it! There are certain things that would go with an announcement like this that would make you know they're serious, and that this is not going to be another Onitsha main market.......that's if anything will be built at all, seeing as this is election season!

collynzo2: You guys need to calm down, this is just another market wtf? We need to raise our standards high, Igbo political leaders are having an easy ride.

Its not a mere market. Its a multi-faceted mall. With modern facilities like banks, hotel, offices, fire service, police post etc.