Onitsha Market: Center for Trade and Commerce
You must be living under a rock if you have not heard of Onitsha Market in Anambra state. It is one of the top 10 largest markets in West Africa, center of trade and commerce for Ndi Anambra, the home of many prosperous and successful businesses for Anambra and non-Anambra indigenes, and the host of multiple SMEs, factories, and established enterprises.
The market is held in high esteem and reverence due to the depths and lengths the traders go to trade all kinds and types of goods and services to attain the highest and optimum level of customers satisfaction. But did you know that the existence of this market can be traced way back to the 18th century? History noted that the human activities of trading in Onitsha in the 18th century were what attracted the Portuguese to settle in Nigeria at first and the Royal Niger company was established by the British in Onitsha due to it’s trading and commercial activities. Wow, it seems like the Onitsha market has always been a land blessed with unique abilities to deal in business and trading.
Imagine coming into an unarranged market where everything is being sold in one place thereby causing overpopulation. That’s frustrating, right? Well, the Onitsha market is not like that. For easy accessibility and uniformity, the market is spread out at different locations and each location is known for the distinct goods they sell. Electro mart is known for its sales of electronic devices, Ochanja market deals only on shoes and footwear, Head bridge deal in furniture making, and welding. The main market focuses mainly on clothes, baby wears, household items and equipment, Ogwu market deals on the sales of building materials, tools, equipment etc. This act of separating the market into several locations has prevented a situation of overcrowding and overpopulation in a specific place.
For attractiveness, orderliness and ease, the traders arrange their goods stylishly in rows and columns to appease the eyes of the customers. This is presumably the reason millions of transactions take place in all areas and corners of the market everyday.
Onitsha market is also known for its unique ability to sell everything. Yes, it is true what they say; there is absolutely nothing you can’t find in the Onitsha market. It is so known for this distinct quality that people from all walks of life travel far and wide just to patronize the sellers. It is not surprising that the market is laced with all kinds of goods as most of the sellers are importers and possess direct contact to other business people and manufacturers from different countries like China, Turkey, USA, UK etc. This shows how far the business people of this market are willing to satisfy their customers. It also depicts that the business owners carry out a market survey to know what goods are of interest to the people and what goods are of disinterest to the people. Due to this reason, goods of different sizes, types, brands, and quality are made available to every customer depending on their pockets.
Finally, the Onitsha market unquestionably has the characteristics to be the best and the number one market in Africa.
