The largest grains market in Africa, located at Dawanau in Dawakintofa local government of Kano state has been renovated by the state government in partnership with Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and the Lives and Livelihood Project (LLP) through the provision of roads, Secretariat, Police Post, streetlights and drainages.
This was revealed by the Infrastructural Engineer of Kano State Agro-Pastoral Development Project, Zahraddeen Zarewa, while addressing newsmen at the market on Tuesday.
“This is a project being carried out by the Kano state government with the support of the Islamic Development Bank to boost the area of agriculture, precisely the values chain of crops and livestock
“We are here at the Dawanau International Grains Market and basically what the Kano state government did here is to close the Infrastructural gap as far as the market is concerned.
“Because the Market is the largest grains market in the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, and the market lacks so many infrastructure that will help them carryout their businesses efficiently and conveniently. Part of these infrastructure include road, which makes it difficult to be easily accessed; drainage, which has resulted to flood and destruction of grains and electricity which was lacking before now.
“The market also lacked a secretariat where administrative activities could take place.
“So what the Kano state government did is to provide a four kilometers surface dressed road, in the market, drainage network as well as solar powered electricity across the market.
“It provided a mosque and a police post in the market to enhance security and upgrade the standard of the market” he stated.
The Dawanau International Market is central to the sales of all kinds of grains in Nigeria and all the countries that share boarders with the country.
In a partnership program between the Kano state government and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) N628 million has been spent on the project to develop the infrastructures in the market.
N508 million was spent used for the construction of four kilometers feeder roads in various parts of the market, drainages and solar powered streetlights.
On the other hand, N120 is spent on the construction of a secretariat, mosque and a police post.
Also addressing newsmen on the project, the Deputy Chairman I, of Dawanau International Grains Market, Baba Wawu, stated the effort they have made in the past to develop some infrastructure on the market that have all been in vein.
“However the government and it’s partners have spent millions of Naira to upgrade the market infrastructure.
“The government has built roads and drainages strategically in the market to ease business. Almost eighty percent of the market now has drainages which never existed before, this alone is a big success” he stated.
Wawu further explained that this infrastructural development in the marker has enhanced business so far sin e the they were put in place by the state government.