Kano State – The Centre of Commerce
Northern Nigeria is home to Kano State, the most populous state in Nigeria. It was formed on May 27, 1967, from a portion of the Northern Region. Kano State is bordered to the north-west by Katsina State, the north-east by Jigawa State, the south-east by Bauchi State, and the south-west by Kaduna State. Kano, the capital of Kano State, is a historic city that dates back more than a thousand years.
The population of Kano State is now estimated to be around 20 million. (The highest in Nigeria)
With significant industries in textile, tanning, footwear, cosmetics, plastics, enamelware, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, furniture, and other sectors, Kano State is also the largest industrial hub in northern Nigeria. Other industries are, for example, farming equipment maintenance, soft drink bottling, food industry, dairy products, vegetable oil, and animal feeds.
With daily trade volumes over NGN 20 billion, Kano State is formally referred to as Nigeria’s Center of Commerce.
An enormous boost to Kano’s economy, trade, and assistance for the development of industrial projects in northern Nigeria would result from connecting the state to the Backbone Infrastructure Nigeria Limited’s Route 1 and 3 corridors.
Imagine being able to have your products delivered to the Kano inland dry port, load them on seagoing vessels 48 hours later, or have your fresh agricultural products delivered in cooled or refrigerated railway freight-cars to any supermarket along Route 1 or Route 3 in a matter of hours, all at a fraction of the price of trucking.
Imagine being able to ship your meat products – be they from cattle, goats, sheep, or pigs – on refrigerated freight railcars within a 24-hour period to cities in southern Nigeria along the Route 1, 2, 3 and 6 corridors.
Imagine travelling to towns in southern Nigeria (in under 6 hours) in modern and air-conditioned public transportation whilst connected to the Internet over 5G; without any network disconnections.
Brief History:
Dala Hill was as the centre of the biggest Hausa Kingdom in Africa for more than 1000 years before Kano State was established in 1967. According to the Kano Chronicle, Bagauda, a descendant of the legendary hero Bayajidda, ruled as Kano’s first monarch from 999 until 1063 AD. Muhammad Rumfa came to power in 1463 and held the kingdom until 1499. He extended the Sahelian Gidan Rumfa (Emir’s Palace), reformatted the city, and encouraged notable citizens to become Muslims, all of which contributed to the city’s further Islamization. Up to the 1805 Fulani invasion, the Hausa state maintained its independence.
The Sokoto Caliphate was established at the beginning of the 19th century as a result of a war led by the Fulani Islamic chieftain Usman dan Fodio that devastated much of northern Nigeria. The empire’s largest and wealthiest province was Kano.
After little opposition, the British were able to take control of the Fort of Kano in March 1903, and Lokoja was rapidly displaced as the region’s administrative hub. Zungeru and then Kaduna took over as the seatof administration, and it wasn’t until Kano State was established when Nigeria attained independence in 1960 that it recovered administrative relevance.
The Federal military administration established Kano state in 1967 from what was formerly Northern Nigeria after the country gained independence. Audu Bako, the first military police commissioner, is credited with laying the groundwork for the development of a modern society. He is credited for creating most of the state’s social amenities. Abubakar Rimi was the first governor who was a civilian. The Kurmi Market, the Kwari Market, and the Dawanau Market are just a few of Kano’s current significant markets.
The principal commercial sectors include:
The principal commercial sectors include:
Agriculture: More than 70% of Kano’s Gross State Product comes from the agricultural sector, and 50% of the population is either directly or indirectly involved in farming, including the cultivation of crops, cattle, and fish. With more than 20 dams supplying roughly 2 million cubic meters of water to support agricultural and industrial operations, Kano is now the most irrigated State in Nigeria.
More than 4 million metric tons of grains are currently produced annually. The main export products grown in the State are cereals (rice, wheat, and barley), legumes (groundnut), oil seeds (soybeans, sesame, and castor), fibres (cotton and sisal), and spices (ginger, chili pepper). Other non-staple crops grown in Kano include sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cassava, and cowpea.
Manufacturing: The majority of Nigeria’s agro-allied processing companies are located in Kano State, offering agricultural products ready-made markets.
It is strategically located for industrial activities because it has historically served as a source of supply for a wide range of consumer and technology-related goods for many states throughout the nation as well as for neighbouring nations like Niger, Chad, Northern Cameroon, Central African Republic, and Burkina Faso. The growth of medium and small-scale manufacturing and processing businesses is being fuelled by the high demand for goods.
These businesses are dispersed across four major industrial layouts: the Sharada Industrial Areas (Phase I, II, and III), Bompai Industrial Area, Challawa Industrial Area, and Tokarawa Industrial layout. With its industries in textile, tanning, footwear, cosmetics, plastics, enamelware, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, furniture, and other fields, Kano State is the second-largest industrial hub in Nigeria after Lagos State. Agricultural tools, soft drinks, food and drinks, dairy products, vegetable oil, and animal feeds are a few more.
About a million micro, small, and medium businesses operate in Kano. More than 3.5 million people are employed by these companies, which produce between 60 % and 70 % of the state’s domestic production. Manufacturing (54%), wholesale and retail, auto repairs and home goods (23%), hotels and restaurants (6.6%), and manufacturing make up the majority of the commercial activity.
For efficiency, many companies rely on the services industry. However, the Kano services industry is still comparatively in its infancy and has enormous development potential.
The government is committed to repositioning the service industry as a significant source of assistance for companies operating in the State.
Mining: As a key contributor to national income, job creation, and the integrity of the national industrial base, the mining industry provides a real foundation for diversifying the country’s economy away from petroleum dependence. Nigeria is home to huge mineral resources worth several trillion dollars. The industry is seriously undeveloped and completely unorganised.
The Jakara River runs through the state capital of Kano, Kano City. Kano, a Gaya blacksmith who historically travelled to Dalla Hill in the area in quest of iron, is credited with founding it. Stone tool finds suggest ancient habitation of the area, which was chosen as the Hausa state of Kano’s capital during King Gajemasu’s rule (1095–1134). (Gijimasu). During his rule, work on the famous city wall started, and it was completed in the centuries that followed. The wall is around 12 miles (20 km) long, 40 feet (12 metres) broad at the base, and 30 to 50 feet high. It includes more than a dozen gates.
The central Kurmi Market, a major caravan destination, is located inside the old walled area along the Jakara River. The capital of an emirate centered on the city was decided to be Kano following the Fulani jihad (holy war; 1804-08). Its market, which was already significant in the area, developed into the main marketplace for the western Sudanese savanna and desert region, which stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile River. Cowrie shells were the main form of currency. Kano acquired kola nuts from Ghana, salt from the Sahara, slaves from the Bauchi and Adamawa emirates, natron from Lake Chad, sword blades, weapons, silk, spices, and fragrances from the trans-Saharan camel caravans in exchange for Hausa leatherwork, linen, and metal crafts.
The direction of commerce turned to the south towards the Gulf of Guinea when the city was taken over by the British in 1903 and the railway from Lagos (715 miles southeast) was opened in 1912.
The second-largest city in Nigeria, Kano now serves as the commercial hub of northern Nigeria.
The Kano metropolis originally encompassed four local government areas (LGAs)—Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni, and Nasarawa—and 137 square kilometres (53 square miles).
It currently includes two more LGAs—Ungogo and Kumbotso. Metropolitan Kano presently covers 499 square kilometres overall (193 square miles).
Kano State is home to four institutions: one federal university, two state universities, and one private university, Bayero University Kano (BUK), which was created in 1977.
Kano Institutes for Agricultural Research