Abuja council flags off 2,000-shop market in Wasa under PPP
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The Abuja Municipal Area Council and Imavug Ltd have begun building a 2,000-shop market on 7.5 hectares near Wasa Primary School, with the council targeting completion inside 24 months.
The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has flagged off construction of a 2,000-shop ultramodern market in Wasa district, a public-private partnership the council says will pull roadside traders into a planned complex and expand trading space in the Federal Capital Territory.
The market is being developed with Imavug Ltd on 7.5 hectares of land near Wasa Primary School, along the Apo-Karshi road. The groundbreaking was held on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, with traditional rulers, council officials, traders' associations and residents in attendance.
AMAC chairman Christopher Maikalangu said the council could not develop all of its markets on its own, which is why it brought in a private partner. “We have the land, he has the resources. So, whatever is done here, we have a certain percentage for the developer and the government. It is a kind of PPP arrangement,” he said.
Imavug managing director Albert Erhabor said the facility would carry more than 2,000 shops of various sizes across several floors, ranging from four to 75 square metres, alongside duplex shops, warehouses, restaurants, banks and event halls. It will run on alternative energy including solar power, and he said traders in Gudu and other markets were consulted before the design was finalised.
Maikalangu said the market is meant to reduce roadside trading in the city centre and that council engineers would monitor the project from foundation to completion to enforce construction standards. The developer has asked for two years to deliver the project, though the council said it expects it earlier.