The
Abia State Government on Tuesday said it had concluded arrangements to
relocate the popular Ariaria International Market from Aba to Osisioma
community, which is about one kilometre from the capital city.
The move, according to the development
partner, Acroideation International Limited, is sequel to “advice from a
former World Bank President, Paul Wolfowitz, and the Minister of
Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, during their visit to the market in
2005 to assess its economic potential.”
The state has already entered into a
Memorandum of Understanding with Acroideation to construct ultra modern
workshops and warehouses on about 200 hectares of land to be structured
on the build, operate and manage arrangement for 35 years.
The project, known as the Abia
International Industrial City, is expected to gulp $1bn (N160bn) with
estimated 200,000 jobs to be created in the process.
The Head of Communications and Strategy,
AIL, Mr. Seyi Olufade, however, told journalists on Tuesday in Abuja
that the relocation would be voluntary.
He said the state government had been in
high level talks with various other organisations, some of which
include the Bank of Industry, the United Nations Development Agency,
Central Bank of Nigeria, Nigeria Industrial Promotion Council as well as
the ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Labour and
Productivity.
Olufade said the ground breaking event
for the project was expected to be done next month, while the first
phase would be inaugurated in December 2014.
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