The Ikenga Shopping Mall project in Awka, a brainchild of the Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency ( ANSIPPA), has entered its final stage of construction.
The retail project, which is a product of a Public-Private Partnership between the Anambra state government and Sundry Markets Limited, is currently letting business spaces with the two flagship brands, MarketSquare and Kilomanjaro, already operational.
The details of the PPP that birthed the project were made public a long time ago, revealing how the public sector and private sector are collaborating to float the project. The Anambra state government, under the leadership of Prof Chukwuma Soludo, is providing land and creating an enabling environment, while Sundry Market’s limited is developing the mall.
The Mall is anchored by Market Square, the retail arm of Sundry Market’s limited and opened for business late last year. The Ikenga Shopping Mall is located at the centre of Awka and aims to promote the retail sector in the state following the struggles of foreign retail brands.
Awka’s Positioning as an Emerging Urban City
Projects like the Ikenga Shopping Mall and the Solution Fun City are positioning the capital city of Awka as an emerging urban centre serving the entire Anambra state. The introduction of Leisure and Retail projects by the Soludo administration adds colour to the city, historically known as an abode for government administrative activities.
The duo projects of the Ikenga Shopping Mall and the Solution Funcity in Awka are valued at nearly N10 billion, a significant capital project at all costs. Both projects cited in the capital city of Awka build on the city’s growing appeal to both the old and the young demographic in Anambra state.
Aside from optics, the projects are contributing to the growth of the local economy by creating jobs. The ikenga shopping mall is projected to create over 500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs through the supply chain, local vendors, and Service providers.
ANSIPPA is the government’s eye in the PPP, acting as a facilitator and supervisor on behalf of the Anambra State government. The investment promotion body revealed earlier that Anambra State signed 20 strategic memoranda of understanding (MOU) in 2025.
” We’ve spent 2025 changing gears, clearing bottlenecks, and unlocking global trade barriers. From securing Special Economic Zone status to institutionalizing our funding with the new ADIC law,” ANSIPPA stated earlier.
The investment body is also leading the diversification efforts of Anambra state into new sectors, away from commerce and government-generated revenue.
