Kano State has strengthened its commercial ambitions with the commissioning of the Hajaj-ZOEC Digital Market, a major Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project expected to generate about N50 billion in annual revenue and create more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The market, developed by the Kano State Government in partnership with Hajaj ZOEC Real Estate Limited and ZOEC Construction, is designed to serve as a regional hub for electrical and electronic products, positioning Kano as a key destination for wholesale trade in Nigeria and across West Africa.
Speaking at the inauguration on Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer of Hajaj ZOEC Real Estate Limited, Alhaji Jamilu Abdussalam, said the facility would reduce the need for traders to travel abroad, particularly to China, to source electrical and electronic goods in bulk.
He said the market, built at a cost of between N25 billion and N30 billion, comprises more than 1,500 shops equipped with modern infrastructure to support efficient trade and investment.
According to Abdussalam, the project has already attracted foreign investors, with companies from China and Egypt establishing permanent showrooms at the complex. He added that between 60 and 65 per cent of the shops had been sold ahead of full operations.
The facility also includes parking space for about 700 vehicles, underground storage capable of accommodating more than 30 forty-foot containers, and modern firefighting and sprinkler systems to support large-scale commercial activities.
Abdussalam said over 1,000 workers were engaged daily during the construction phase, while more than 8,000 people had benefited from the project’s supply chain. He projected that the market would eventually support over 100,000 jobs across wholesale and retail trade, logistics, transportation and other ancillary services.
Representing the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Yusuf Abdullahi Ata, the minister’s Special Assistant (Technical), Kabir Aminu Dutse, said the Federal Government had simplified Public-Private Partnership processes to attract greater private investment in infrastructure.
He noted that the ministry had developed an investor-friendly PPP framework and described the Hajaj-ZOEC Digital Market as a model of technology-driven commerce capable of boosting economic growth and improving Nigeria’s competitiveness.
Ata commended Hajaj ZOEC Real Estate Limited, ZOEC Construction, Summit Bank and the Kano State Government for delivering what he described as a landmark investment that would expand commercial activities, attract investment and reinforce Kano’s position as one of Nigeria’s foremost commercial centres.
Business leaders and investors at the commissioning expressed confidence that the market would stimulate regional trade, deepen investment flows and enhance Kano’s role as Northern Nigeria’s leading commercial gateway.