If there ever was a perfect time for the small scale
manufacturers and business people in Aba to stamp
their feet as the manufacturing hub of Africa, now is
that time. This is true because in a world where
everything is changing rapidly, technology presents
itself as the best option for the Aba manufacturers
to truly be the ‘China of Africa’.
Abia State Small-Scale Industrialist Initiative
(ASSII) President, Mr Fortunate Dike’s statement in
an interview with reporters gives a nod towards
evolving and embracing technology, and the need to
expose what Aba is made of, said: “All they need is
to be exposed to modern technologies in order to
help them meet with the modern trends of
technology.” What better way to do this if not with
e-commerce as China did?
China stamped their feet as the manufacturing and
trade hub of the world all thanks to e-commerce,
and Aba manufacturers can learn from their story.
Jack Ma and his team created an online portal to
connect China small-medium scale manufacturers
with customers overseas, and the result was
astronomical for locally produced goods in China.
Alibaba.com became the No.1 e-commerce
platform in the world connecting over 16 million
China small scale businesses with the global
market and soon grew to having over 240 countries
trading on the platform. Today, coupled with low
cost of production and ease of accessing the China
manufacturers’ pool, most markets in the world are
flooded with China products, and e-commerce
played a huge role in exposing China’s
manufacturing potential to the global market.
A similar solution is what e-commerce portals like
cokodeal.com is doing for Africa. In the space of
barely a year, cokodeal.com has accrued laudable
success stories. It is time for Africa to compete on
a global level.
In an interview with Dailypost.ng, Mr Femi Aguda,
the Co-founder of cokodeal.com, shared the
motivation behind the online platform. He stressed
the need for Africa to be the convergent point of
global trade; “The Company is a product of an
ardent desire for an Africa that will be the
convergent point of global trade and not a continent
at the mercy of foreign aid. We think there is urgent
need for conscious effort to expose African
produced goods so as to change the world’s
perception of Africa being a predominantly
consumer market.”
Indeed, it is time for the world to know what Africa
is made of. There is no doubt that Africa is blessed
and has a lot to offer the world and online portals
like cokodeal.com would play an intrinsic part. As it
was noted that cokodeal.com is Africa’s locally
produced goods export e-commerce, as one of its
aims is for Nigerian businesses producing locally to
sell to Nigerians and export to a global market.”
What e-commerce would do for the Aba
manufacturers is to connect the small scale
manufacturers with new markets; creating a market
linkage, provide a perfect platform to promote the
made-in-Aba products, bring the small-scale
manufacturers locked in tiny shops somewhere In
Aba to the forefront as Africa’s market and make it
easier for customers to directly connect with such
businesses, leveraging on cokodeal.com technology
to access the Africa market, in similar mould of
what alibaba.com did for the small scale
manufacturers in China.
Already the shoe manufacturing sect in Aba alone
supplies several markets within Nigeria and other
neighboring sub-regional African countries like
Cameroun and Gabon.
Reports say the number of small-scale shoe
industries present in Aba is about 10,000 and they
record about 1 million exports daily according to
The President of Abia Think Tank Association, Mazi
Sam Ohuabunwa. To think that Aba market can
meet such demand daily with no major government
support and modern facilities indicates bright future
for Africa.
However, results are still meager compared to the
standards held by people for Aba as a trade hub and
‘Africa’s China’. Should Aba manufacturers leverage
on e-commerce; it would soon see itself match this
feat as evidenced with China’s meteoric rise to
world prominence as the manufacturing hub of the
world; and with platforms like cokodeal.com to
expose and promote the capacity of the Aba
manufacturers, demands can soar higher, exports
can improve exponentially and the people of Aba
can really do big business.
Of course I’m not ignorant of the pressing need for
government support in terms of appropriate policies
for “made in Nigeria” and providing adequate
infrastructure as these things add to the shunt
growth of Aba as a trade hub in Africa, However
prior to when Government comes good on their
responsibilities, the Aba manufacturers owe it to
themselves, their families and Africa to act
proactively and act fast to stamp their feet as truly
the ‘China of Africa’ because they are Africa’s pride
for local manufacturing.

Source: News express
http:///DsCYLj

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Yes Lagos is a mega city with large markets. Aba is not only the big markets we have in Nigeria, this shows how huge trade is in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Small money...huge economy