A Documentary on Proudly Made in Aba, Nigeria

In April 2016, TBWA/Concept Unit partnered with Ford Foundation, with the assistance of the Abia State Government, to develop the Proudly Made in Aba campaign. TBWAConcept is part of a global network of 300 agencies in over 100 countries committed to helping brands find strategic and creative white space with the main objective of achieving growth.

As part of our commitment to Growth, we identified the industrial and commercial activities in Aba as a story that had strong potential for Nigeria's economic growth. We identified 2 Critical Gap Areas - Awareness & Capacity Building - that if properly addressed would help the city achieve its potential.

Obviously a strong Aba brand will be beneficial to manufacturers and businesses from

Aba and immensely beneficial to the government as regards taxes and employment.

ABA would have flipped the negative impression associated with MADE in Aba products. But more importantly this will be in massive resonance with new federal government policy of encouraging strong local industries and clusters.


See a short documentary below:

   


Discover Aba
Aba has a population of about 600,000, based on the last Census carried out in 2006. Over one-tenth of this population are artisans producing garments and leather shoes and fabricating machines. One in six of these people is a manufacturer and an employer of labour.

The normal average in Aba is one shop owner to between five to seven workers. This is where it gets interesting - some are learning the trade and some are working the trade. The worker is paid wages while the apprentice pays to learn the trade. Revenue circulates.

The most common refrain in Aba is, ‘When I finish I will get money to start my own’ and that is why you would get so many people who have more than two decade's experience doing the same thing. These business owners continue to mentor others. Sustainability is guaranteed.

There are 14 manufacturing clusters in Aba which are divided into leather products [shoes, belts and bags]; Garments; and fabrication. With over 50,000 artisans, the only thing that cannot be manufactured in Aba presently is a human being.

Going through the town of Aba exposes you to a people who are extremely hard working - a people bent on sharing knowledge to sustain the future. In this town, there will always be work!

You too can help spread the reality about Aba by supporting Made in Aba.

For more information, visit https://www.proudlymadeinaba.com/

By the way, in a bid to supporting entrepreneurship and patronage of made in Nigeria products, Jobzilla Nigeria will be going beyond publishing of corporate jobs. We currently have plans underway to explore and showcase entrepreneurship opportunities in various cities of Nigeria.
We believe this will go a long way in encouraging you to take that entrepreneurial leap.
Stay tuned.