The chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Christopher Zaka Maikalangu, has flagged off the construction of 2,000 ultramodern shops in Wasa district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Maikalangu, who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, said the project would boost commercial activities, create jobs and improve access to essential goods in the area.
He said the market was being developed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between AMAC and Imavug Ltd. on 7.5 hectares of land near Wasa Primary School, along Apo-Karshi Road.
He explained that the council entered into the partnership because it lacked the financial capacity to develop all its markets independently.
According to him, the project would benefit Wasa and neighbouring communities, particularly women and youths, while reducing roadside trading in the city centre.
He urged residents to cooperate with the developer and ensure that members of the host community were carried along throughout the construction process.
The chairman also assured prospective traders that the shops would be affordable, adding that council engineers would monitor the project to ensure compliance with construction standards.
He said the developer had requested two years to complete the project but expressed optimism that it would be delivered earlier.
Earlier, the Managing Director of Imavug Ltd., Mr Albert Erhabor, said the market was designed to address challenges such as congestion and poor planning in existing markets across the FCT.
He said the company consulted traders in Gudu and other markets to understand their needs before designing the facility.
Erhabor said the 7.5-hectare market would accommodate more than 2,000 shops of different sizes, ranging from four to 75 square metres, as well as duplex shops, warehouses, restaurants, banks and event halls.
He added that the facility would operate partly on alternative energy sources, including solar power, while its pricing structure would accommodate traders across different income levels.
According to him, the company has secured financiers and prospective buyers, with several shops already taken up.