Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, CFR, on Wednesday 20, May 2026, hosted leaders from 41 major markets across the state at the Amphitheater, Light House, Awka.
Addressing the delegation, the governor stated that trade and commerce remain one of the largest drivers of the state’s economy.
Soludo assured the traders that the demolition of sections of Onitsha Main Market has been completed, and contractors will soon begin work to modernize the market’s environment. He added that other markets on the list will also receive facelifts in phases.
The governor directed that all markets in the state must operate from Monday to Saturday and remain closed only on Sundays and designated federal and state public holidays.
He warned that no market is permitted to comply with directives from non-state actors. “No one will be allowed to cripple commercial activities in Anambra State. Anyone who attempts to do so is inviting the full weight of government action,” Soludo said. “In the new Anambra we are building, there must be law and order. Anyone doing business here must obey the law.”
The governor also called on the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr. Tochukwu Nweke, to highlight key provisions of the new Anambra Trade and Market Law.
The law outlines the structure of market leadership, operational guidelines, and opening hours for markets designated as areas of economic interest. Soludo stressed that markets must be safe, comfortable, and well-organized, with adequate parking and security to attract shoppers from across Nigeria and beyond.
He noted that banking consolidation has shifted trading in Nigeria from cash-based to digital transactions, reducing the risks of armed robbery and losses that once plagued traders. Soludo charged the newly established Ministry of Commerce to work vigorously to make trading in Anambra easier, faster, more reliable, and efficient.
