Strategically located in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, is the World Trade Centre (WTC), a mixed use facility providing a portfolio of branded offices, commercial and residential real estates, alongside an extensive suite of trade services for tenants.
A project being developed and promoted by the Churchgate Group, WTC Abuja, promises eight buildings, seven of which are skyscrapers, including Commercial Office Towers, Residential Apartment Towers, The Capital Mall, an Event Center and a Hotel.
The main intention of this iconic project, according to the promoters, is to offer Nigerians high-end luxury living, promote business and enhance trade competitiveness for economic growth.
“WTC Abuja is the most iconic address for business and living in Nigeria; it facilitates international trade and business between Nigeria and the rest of the world,” explained Karim Adelaja, Group General Manager, Sales & Marketing at WTC Abuja, who spoke at a Webinar hosted by the Centre recently.
The Webinar which had as theme, ‘Nigeria Trade Competitiveness: Imperative For Growth’, was attended by high profile personalities, including Niyi Adebayo, Minister of Industries, Trade & Investment; Vinay Mahtani, Group Managing Director, Churchgate Group, among others.
Adelaja explained further that the residences are high-end apartments that have everything a resident could ever want or need, including top-of-the-line fittings and housewares, on-site parking and countless amenities. Each apartment has its own unique wrap-around balcony, a canvas for any creative homeowner to turn into paradise.
“The WTC Residential Tower stands 110 meters high; it is presently the tallest residential building in Abuja. The apartments are known for pure deluxe living, built for pleasure and a perfect fit for a king or queen,” he noted.
The Commercial Tower, according to him, stands over 120 meters high. It is a 22-storey edifice with prime office spaces of up to 33,000 square meters, offering options ranging from 130 square metres to as much as a full floor plate of 1,440 square metres.
These unique features make WTC Abuja not only an exclusive destination for residence but also a haven for incubating business ideas and enterprises for both national and economic growth.
This explained why the centre hosted the Webinar where Adebayo, the industries and trade minister, highlighted what he called “the key pillars that have shaped our interventions in trade promotion and enhancing competitiveness.”
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The minister who couched his speech on ‘Beyond 2023: Government Priorities and Posture for Trade and Competitiveness in Nigeria’, listed those key pillars as Energy and Climate Change; Infrastructure; Food Safety and Security, and Competition Enablers.
“Nigeria has historically faced challenges in its Energy Sector which greatly affect the business environment; our unmet energy needs are significant and we expect that future demand will be even greater due to our expanding population and urbanization,” he said.
Continuing, the minister said, “in addressing our energy constraints, we have also had to consider environmental sustainability and energy transition; we have introduced the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan designed to tackle the dual crises of energy, poverty and climate change and deliver SDG7 by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060. The Energy Transition Implementation Working Group, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has been established for the implementation of the plan.”
He disclosed that the government was committed to putting in place the infrastructure needed to give the economy the productive and competitive edge that it needs to increase the basket of the country’s tradable commodities and better the lives of every citizen.]
In terms of competition enablers, the minister said that one of the most critical economic enablers was access to long term patient capital suitable to industrialisation, adding that this has been at the heart of the government’s agenda.
According to him, the Bank of Industry has disbursed over ₦421 billion to about 12,000 large enterprises and MSMEs to ensure their sustenance and growth, adding that this has also created an estimated 1.8 million jobs in the country.
“The bank also initiated the ₦2.4 billion North East Rehabilitation Fund (NERF) to stimulate the regional economy through the provision of affordable credit facilities to new MSMEs in the region. As at the end of December 2020, the sum of ₦569.34 million has been disbursed to 56,934 beneficiaries,” he said.
“In addition, we are collaborating with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other financial partners to set up US$500 million fund to close the financing gap that exists in the technology and creative industries,” he added.
