Each Sunday is market day in Kamba. The mini-border market which is situated in the heart of the town is usually a beehive of trading activities, due to the influx of sellers and buyers from Niger, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali and other North African countries.
The border town of Kamba is strategically located for the convenience of traders and travellers from different countries. In view of its unique location, bordering the two countries of Niger and Benin Republic, the Federal Government during the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo planned to establish either an International Border Market or Export Processing Zone at Kamba. Massive land was earmarked for the project, but to the dismay of the community the project was stopped for unknown reasons. Several years after, no attempt has been made by successive governments to revisit the project.
Speaking on the project, the District Head of Kamba, Alhaji Mahmudu Zarumai said “Kamba is Nigeria’s first entry point when coming from Niger. Anybody entering Nigeria through Niger Republic will do so through Kamba. The pastoral movement between East Africa and Nigeria mostly is done through this border town. We are strategically located for the convenience of travellers from Nigeria, Niger, Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso and the rest of North African countries. We only wish as a journalist and having heard about this fact, you will go the extra mile to help us find out where the matter of the project lies presently. We have sensitized and educated our people on the importance of the project in our community. We have all it takes for such project to be sited here. Many of the West and East African countries have their roots here ,and they pass through Kamba to do business in Nigeria. We hope Governor Atiku Bagudu will be adequately briefed about this project that is earmarked for the benefit of the people of Kebbi State, Dandi local government area in particular and Nigeria in General. We want the Federal Government to revisit the issue, and see how it can assist us. It would be a job creating venture and a commercial exposure to our people. Given the position of Kebbi as one of the poorest states with low revenue generating capacity, the project, if implemented will increase the revenue base of the state.”
Commenting on the economic activities in the border town, he said “The President personally came to us here in Kamba. He told us that he was aware of the kind of economic activities that are going on here. Majority of our people are farmers and they produce a lot of economic crops which include rice, groundnut, soya beans, cereals, animal husbandry and fishing, for those of us living within the River Niger Basin. We also have a reasonable level of rainfall. It was these potentials that made the federal government to launch the agricultural programme called the Anchor Borrowers in Kebbi State. Given our ranking as the highest rice producing community in the state, we are looking forward to interested investors to come and establish a rice mill in Kamba. There is no day we don’t produce over five trailer loads of rice here. A medium sized rice mill will have challenges to process them into finished rice. There are also many untouched areas which investors can come and explore. We have large groundnut and cotton production potentials. Our soil is fertile coupled with its savannah vegetation which is suitable for agricultural activities. Unlike other areas that are close to the Sahel –Sahara, we are located in the river Niger basin.”
One of the traders in the busy border market, Alhaji Usman Aliyu Kamba told our correspondent that people from different parts of Nigeria and countries like Benin and Niger republic, usually come to Kamba to trade and share other services freely with traders there every market day, without any hindrance. “The preparation for the Sunday market in Kamba usually starts on Friday. The security personnel at the border are aware of this and they are always on the alert. It is a give and take thing. People from Kamba also go to some of the Niger and Benin Republic communities every day for their businesses. They even go as far as Niamey, in the same way the nationals of these countries come to Kamba to trade. There is a common understanding between us, because everybody is aware of the economic benefits we are achieving through this cordial relationship.”
The former chairman of Dandi local government area and now Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Alhaji Samaila Abdulmumini Kamba told our correspondent that before the economic down -turn in the country, when people from other places come to Kamba border market, they used to marvel at the volume of the exchange of businesses at the market. “It is mutual and everybody from Benin, Niger Republic and other parts of the country, benefit from the numerous economic activities. This is because of its closeness to the borders of Benin and Niger. However, the dollar has risen and Niger Republic’s currency is stronger than the naira. We now remain the losers in the business that we conduct with the nationals of these countries, whenever they come here to trade with us. If you go to the market you will find that most of the people who come there to buy things are from Niger and Benin Republic. They buy our goods at cheaper rates because when they exchange their currency with the naira, they have the upper hand. They buy our things at cheaper rates and go back with plenty of goods. As I speak with you, we cannot go to Niger to buy things from them, in the way they use to buy from us, because the rate they will charge us will be too high due to the fall of the naira. However, since we now depend heavily on farming, particularly rice farming, our people are happy much more than before. The dry season farming has picked up very well in this area, and it has helped to cushion the effect of our loss. Right now, a bag of paddy rice sells for N10,000 in the market. Some of the farmers produced up to 100 or 200 bags of rice ,during the dry season farming. This has gone a long way to solve many of their problems.”
He stated that there was a plan by the federal government to establish a Free Trade Zone in Kamba years back, but it was stopped. “We only hope that it will be implemented during this administration. If it is done it will go a long way to boost the economy here. Every country could come with its currency or there could be an agreement on a single currency. It will be a mutual benefit. We pray it will be actualized so that the economic activities around these borders can pick up. Kamba as a border town is a blessing to Kebbi State. God created Kamba and Niger people together, so that they can understand each other culturally, socially and economically. I think we both appreciate each other for that.”
A Nigerien at Dole-Kaina, Abdullahi said doing business at the border market has profited him and many others who come there to buy and sell from Niger and Benin Republic. “I will say doing business here is good for us. We come to Kamba regularly to buy rice. I have been buying and selling in this market for the past six years now. It has been good for me, even though these days things are no longer like they were in the past.”
The State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Alhaji Ibrahim Bawa Kamba said traders from different countries and different parts of Nigeria on daily basis bring their commodities to Kamba, and people from Kamba also takes their goods to sell or buy in Niger and Benin Republic. “The Economic activity here is growing daily. If you go to Kamba market now, you will see trucks and trailers loading rice to be taken to Benin or Niger Republic. We have good farmers in Kamba and they now engage in dry season farming. This has brought a lot of gain to them. Even a poor farmer now gets up to 100 bags of rice from the dry season farming. The market here is small, but you can see that our people are making it. People from Sokoto, Kano, Maiduguri and other places are coming here to buy rice, and from here they will enter Niger and Benin Republic to do other businesses.”
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