NIGERIA’S capital city of Abuja is about to get a brand new World Trade Centre (WTC) complex.
The development is expected to open to the public early next year after the completion of the first phase of construction. With this development, the nation joins a network of 323 locations in 89 countries to host the World Trade Centre first inaugurated in 1970 in New York City.
Funded by local and foreign financial institutions, as well as private investors, to the tune of N200 billion or just over $1 billion, the WTC Abuja will be the largest mixed-use development in
West Africa. WTC Abuja has been
under development since 2010 on a lot spanning over six million square feet in the Central Business Area of the capital.
The location offers easy access to the city centre and the airport, with a dual- carriagehighwaysurrounding the site and a new light rail system currently under construction.
For business tenants, though, the most important connections will be those with the global network of 750,000 entrepreneurs that make up the World Trade Centres Association (WTCA).
“One of the missions of WTC Abuja is to improve trade relations between Nigeria and the rest of the world,” Vinay Mahtani, CEO of the site’s developer, Lagos-
based Churchgate Group, told CNN.
“For example, it will enable international businesses to make investments in our community. Ties will be forged between government agencies, non-governmental organisations and international corporations, and the additional business that is captured within the walls of the WTC will provide tax revenues to government, which can be used to improve the welfare of the people.”
Initially projected to open in 2013, the WTC Abuja has gone through various design phases and construction itself has not been free of challenges.
“For example, certain areas of the project have had to be redesigned as we repositioned ourselves to meet the ever-changing
consumer and market needs. We have also faced logistical issues such as congestion in the ports, which has meant our building materials arrived at site behind schedule,” said Mahtani.
Construction    is    now nearing the end of the first phase, which comprises the residential and commercial towers. The former will offer luxury apartments with modern amenities, while the latter will accommodate businesses of various sizes, with offices ranging from 100 to 1,440 square meters.
The    buildings,    at 24-storeys each, are set to define the capital’s skyline as the commercial tower is the tallest office building in Abuja, while the residential tower will be the tallest residential building in Nigeria.