Story by: Patrick Egwu for This Is Africa Online | Image courtesy of: This Is Africa
Already a commercial hub, Aba is now set to become a centre for light manufacturing in Nigeria thanks to investment from China’s Huajian Group. Some worry it will displace local businesses.
It is 11:30am, and traders and buyers from all over west Africa are making their way to the Ariaria market in Aba, a bustling commercial hub in Nigeria’s southeastern Abia state.
“Your shoes here! Your shoes here! Sir, this one is very strong and will last longer,” 30-year-old Ikechukwu Ani shouts as he seeks to attract buyers. “You will like this one, I made it with quality leather material,” he continues, lifting a brown pair with a stitched design and squeezing the leather to show its strength.
“If we are provided with all we need, we will become the largest shoe industry in the world.”
Aba, already a commercial hub, is now set to become a centre for light manufacturing in Nigeria. In April, state governor Okezie Ikpeazu signed a $1.5bn shoe factory deal with the Huajian Group, a Chinese company. Once up and running, the facility is expected to manufacture about 5,000 shoes per day and provide 10,000 jobs, directly and indirectly.
To read the full article, visit This Is Africa Online.
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