Nigerian
Market Info Series
Located in the city of Kano, Dawanau market is the largest grain market in West
Africa. Created in 1985, the market houses over 10,000 stores and 662
warehouses (averaging 6,000 cubic metres each).
It occupies
an area approximately 3 km long and 400 m wide, and is divided into 5
zones : cowpeas (niebe) and sesame crops in zone A ; groundnut, wheat
and cassava in zone B ; yams in zone C ; and maize, millet and
sorghum in zone D. Zone E is used by transporters.
The market
has a roster of twenty- seven groups, some specialised by crop or product,
others not. Vendors must belong to one of these groups to operate in the
market. In 1996, these groups created an umbrella organization, the Dawanau
Market Development Association.
All the
ethnic groups in Nigeria are represented, as well as merchants from the
sub-region (mainly from Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Mali).
The market is a purely private enterprise, open every day from 6:00 a.m. to
midnight in the off season and around the clock in the high season. Sales are
mostly of crops grown in northern Nigeria: cowpea, maize, sorghum, millet and rice.
Thousands of
people work in and around the market: there are over 4,000 warehouse staff, 500
security guards, immigration agents, police officers, etc. Credit can be
readily obtained at the marketplace itself (in an informal manner). Prices
fluctuate very rapidly and merchants make heavy use of their networks
(transporters, food processors, etc.) to stay abreast of prices, quantities,
etc. via mobile phone.
