Nigeria: Urbanisation chokes commerce
KANO: Shop owners in Nigeria's northern Kano state told IRIN a government plan to wipe out illegal businesses has thousands of small business owners floundering in a region where population density and unemployment are among the highest nationwide.
“I was not given any notice to vacate,” said Sani Abdullahi, who told IRIN he sold household goods out of a stall for the past eight years in Kano city, the state capital. “More than a dozen armed policemen accompanied by officials from KNUPDA (Kano Urban Planning and Development Authority) stormed my stall and pulled it down and all my wares. I have lost everything. I do not know where to start from.”
KNUPDA said that since 14 January, 2009 it has demolished 3,000 of 10,000 illegal businesses in the city earmarked for destruction by the end of September. The agency initially targeted the most packed parts of Kano's business district.
Related
WPP’s 2024 preliminary results see shares plunge 16% to a four year low 27 Feb 2025 3 big emerging commerce developments South African brands need to know about right now 10 Feb 2025 20 key trends from VML's Tomorrow’s Commerce report 28 Mar 2024 WPP acquires stake in German digital-first agency OH-SO Digital 8 Feb 2024 WPP and Shopify form a strategic, global partnership 4 Oct 2023 Live shopping: Empowers, connects, engages and drives sales 17 May 2023
