(CNN)—Nigeria's capital city of Abuja is about to get a new heart: a brand new World Trade Center complex.
The development is expected to open to the public early next year after the completion of the first phase of construction. It will join a network of 323 locations in 89 countries, started in 1970 with the inauguration of the first World Trade Center in New York City.
Funded by local and foreign financial institutions, as well as private investors, to the tune of 200 billion Nigerian Naira, or just over $1 billion, the WTC Abuja will be the largest
mixed-use development in West Africa.
Read this: Nigeria's answer to Dubai

Well connected
WTC Abuja has been under development since 2010, on a lot spanning over six million square feet in the Central Business Area of the capital.
The location offers easy access to the city center and the airport, with a dual-carriage highway surrounding the site and a new light rail system currently under construction.

For business tenants, though, the most important connections will be those with the global network of 750,000
entrepreneurs that make up the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA).
"One of the missions of WTC Abuja is to improve trade relations between Nigeria and the rest of the world," Vinay Mahtani, CEO of the site's developer, Lagos-based
Churchgate Group, told CNN. "For example, it will enable international businesses to
make investments in our community. Ties will be forged between government agencies, non-governmental organizations and international corporations, and the additional business that is captured within the walls of the World Trade Center will provide tax revenues to government which can be used to improve the welfare of the people."

A city made to be capital
Abuja is Nigeria's capital city, a role for which it was purposely built starting in 1976, much in the same way as Brasilia for Brazil and Canberra for Australia.
Its physical location in the middle of the country is a good metaphor for its neutral role of unity.
It is now the fourth largest urban area in Nigeria, with impressive growth rates.
Abuja replaced Lagos as the capital on 12 December 1991, although the coastal city remains the largest in the whole of
Africa, when considering its massive metropolitan population of 21 million.
After a recent revision in the way it measures its GDP, Nigeria now boasts Africa's biggest economy, having surpassed South Africa with a 2014 estimate of $568 billion.
With strong growth rates in recent years, Nigerian economy is flourishing, even though its reliance on oil exports
-- the country is Africa's largest producer and the sixth in the world
-- makes it susceptible to the volatile nature of that market.


Construction challenges
Initially projected to open in 2013, the WTC Abuja has gone through various design phases, and construction itself hasn't been free of challenges.
"For example certain areas of the project have had to be redesigned as we repositioned ourselves in order meet the ever-changing consumer and market needs. We have also
faced logistical issues such as congestion in the ports, which has meant our building materials arrived at site behind schedule," said Mahtani.
Construction is now nearing the end of the first phase, which comprises the residential and commercial towers. The former will offer luxury apartments with modern amenities,
while the latter will accommodate businesses of various sizes, with offices ranging from 100 to 1,440 square meters.
The buildings, at 24-storeys each, are set to define the capital's skyline: the Commercial Tower is the tallest office building in Abuja, while the Residential Tower is the tallest
residential building in Nigeria.
Future phases include the construction of a shopping mall and a 37-storey hotel, which will be among the tallest skyscrapers in the continent.

Upsides and downsides
Nigeria, which has attracted the largest amount of foreignInvestment capital in sub-Saharan Africa since 2007, is set to gain international prestige from the development: "There is
no doubt that Abuja and Lagos will benefit tremendously from high end commercial and residential real estates,"
Adekunle Salau, Ernst & Young Advisory Leader for West Africa, told CNN. "My expectation is that if this is executed to plan, Abuja will
be able to host world class conferences and compete favorably with Johannesburg and Cape town for international events.
"It may also moderate the cost of hotels and rents in Abuja, but more importantly it should add significantly to the economic development of the capital, creating employment
in the service and retail sectors.
"The downside is that it can also be artificially priced,thereby continuing heat up the already high cost of Abuja properties and secondly, the amenities may not be developed to the
quality expected from the WTA brand," said Salau.




Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/09/07/africa/world-trade-center-abuja-nigeria/index.html

How will it boost the economy?

nice headline

Ok

nice one .....soon apc will say that it was there achievement while we are still waiting for #1 = $1....

Body Language?

Ugomba:
How will it boost the economy?

Google

I have to admit, this genuinely is one of the rare legacies of PGEJ. I have personally seen the place and it looks impressive.

oya were passingshot the body language analyser come show us how body language take affect this one.

Buhari's body language doing wonders since the birth of the illiterate passingshot the body language analyser.


Chai Nigeria will regret the best president ever since 1960

Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan

unfortunately he's too holy and upright for a doomed country like Nigeria.

by next 4 years we'll be counting the shamble body language economy the illiterate bastard Daura dullard implemented.

God bless Gej

They should have moved it to the south for security reasons. Boko might want to strike there like osama did America.

I miss GEJ....Fact!

Ozin:
I miss GEJ....Fact!

buhari is like the prodigal son.
he is eating away all the wealth he inherited from President Goodluck Ebiebele Jonathan.

I am happy we bid farewell to cluelessness

The level of infrastructural development was second to none under the meritorious service of the GEJ administration. Is it roads, they built 100's, is it the railway, they revamped the sector. What of power, a miracle was achieved. The Ebola virus, unfortunately knocked at our doorstep, they defeated it without breaking a sweat. In Agriculture, they ended a never ending indomitable fertilizer mafia. They were tested in the oil refineries puzzle, but like Alexander the great, he cut through the knot with just one stroke. This and many more monumental achievements make the TRANSFORMER GEJ the man to beat.
The new iron man, PMB, over to you. But if you fail or perform below the standards that we are already accustomed to because of the giant strides made by your predecessor. Then you can consider yourself a disgrace to your wife, children and entire household.

At least, wailers can wail to stupor,




As usual



Only if they knew how much of Nigerian money has been stolen by contractors and PDP he-goats in this project.

GULLIGERIANS ANIMALS

PassingShot:
am a product of oluwole certificate

PassingShot:
am a dunce

Bevista:
I have to admit, this genuinely is one of the rare legacies of PGEJ. I have personally seen the place and it looks impressive.

GenbIoodykiller:
oya were passingshot the body language analyser come show us how body language take affect this one.
Buhari's body language doing wonders since the birth of the illiterate passingshot the body language analyser.
Chai Nigeria will regret the best president ever since 1960
Dr Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan
unfortunately he's too holy and upright for a doomed country like Nigeria.
by next 4 years we'll be counting the shamble body language economy the illiterate bastard Daura President implemented.
God bless Gej

emperorceaser:

Body Language KO bottom language NI
I miss GEJ

Ozin:
I miss GEJ....Fact!

likila:

buhari is like the prodigal son.
he is eating away all the wealth he inherited from President Goodluck Ebiebele Jonathan.

hinwazaka:
The level of infrastructural development was second to none under the meritorious service of the GEJ administration. Is it roads, they built 100's, is it the railway, they revamped the sector. What of power, a miracle was achieved. The Ebola virus, unfortunately knocked at our doorstep, they defeated it without breaking a sweat. In Agriculture, they ended a never ending indomitable fertilizer mafia. They were tested in the oil refineries puzzle, but like Alexander the great, he cut through the knot with just one stroke. This and many more monumental achievements make the TRANSFORMER GEJ the man to beat.
The new iron man, PMB, over to you. But if you fail or perform below the standards that we are already accustomed to because of the giant strides made by your predecessor. Then you can consider yourself a disgrace to your wife, children and entire household.

Well connected
WTC Abuja has been under development since 2010, on a lot spanning over six million square feet in the Central Business Area of the capital.
The location offers easy access to the city center and the airport, with a dual-carriage highway surrounding the site and a new light rail system currently under construction.

Can all those poorly educated folks up there see the highlighted part of the article in bold and shut up for good?

If you are so badly educated that you can not comprehend a simple article, then you will probably be too dumb to understand process of large project management that ordinarily should have made you known that start of planning stage alone of this project can not be later than 2008 (OBJ's tenure) , and can as well be much earlier by only God knows how many years.

It gets really annoying with these dimwits who flood here daily and talk rubbish whereas the ab.oki herbadasher with a transistor radio is better informed than they are.

homerac7:














Can all those poorly educated folks up there see the highlighted part of the article in bold and shut up for good?

If you are so badly educated that you can not comprehend a simple article, then you will probably be too dumb to understand process of large project management that ordinarily should have made you known that start of planning stage alone of this project can not be later than 2008 (OBJ's tenure) , and can as well be much earlier by only God knows how many years.

It gets really annoying with these dimwits who flood here daily and talk rubbish whereas the ab.oki herbadasher with a transistor radio is better informed than they are.

The fact that you failed to comprehend basic English, is shocking. It was clearly indicated in the article that construction and development started in 2010. There is no information in OBJ's tenure that alludes to the construction of a world trade center. If there was, the loudmouthed OBJ would have shouted it to the world. keep off this forum, if you don't know how to READ.