The governor of Anambra state, Chukwuma Charles Soludo, claimed in a recent interview on national television that Anambra is the biggest commercial city in West Africa.
Soludo made the assertion while speaking about some of the achievements recorded by his administration since he assumed office.
Speaking on his approach for addressing insecurity in the state, Soludo said, “The others are about law and order in the society, getting touts and criminals off the streets and markets. There is testimony now about our anti-touting crusade that people are now coming back again from all over the country to shop at Onitsha and its environs. Anambra is the biggest commercial city in West Africa, but Onitsha was almost dying and gone. We are rebuilding these cities.”
Claim: Anambra is the biggest commercial city in West Africa
Verification
The World Bank and the African Development Bank consider Nigeria Africa’s largest economy. Also, the country is ranked the biggest economy in West Africa and the region’s largest market for goods and trade, according to the West African Power and Energy Cooperation Conference (WAPECC).
A 2023 report on the population of Africa by country, puts Nigeria as the largest with over 223.8 million people. Similarly, Lagos is ranked the largest city in Africa, with over 9 million inhabitants as of 2023. As of 2022, Lagos was ranked the largest city in Nigeria and sub-Saharan, with over 15 million inhabitants.
The Lagos SDG and Investment portal shows that Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial capital. This is corroborated by multiple media sources as can be seen here and here. As of August 2015, the GDP of the economy of Lagos was estimated at $136.6 billion, contributing 30% to Nigeria’s GDP. The GDP has an estimated growth rate of 10% and it’s projected to hit $355 billion by 2025.
Statista, in its report, “Top cities for startups in Nigeria 2023,” ranks Lagos as the best city for startups in Nigeria. “In 2023, the best city for startups in Nigeria was Lagos, with a total score of 8.23, according to data provided by StartupBlink. Lagos ranked first in Africa and 82nd worldwide. Lagos is the largest city in Africa and represents an important financial hub for Nigeria as well as for the whole continent. Abuja and Ibadan were other ranking Nigerian cities.”
Verdict: INACCURATE
The CDD War Room found no credible data to show that Anambra is West Africa’s biggest commercial city. Multiple media sources show that Nigeria is West Africa’s biggest economy, and Lagos is Nigeria’s commercial capital.
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