Akwa Ibom State, a gem found in the South-South region of Nigeria, is not just the largest crude oil producing State in Nigeria, it is home to over 7 million people, a cultural heritage, fertile lands and untapped business potentials.
In this article, we will uncover businesses that have potential to thrive in Akwa Ibom State.
Table of Contents
What’s Unique about Akwa Ibom?
Strategic location
Akwa Ibom is strategically located along the coastline with a stretch of 129 kilometers, thereby, making it viable for a seaport and unlocking potentials for marine trade, logistics and economic growth.
The oil rich state also has land suitable for cash crops like cocoa, palm fruit, vegetables, maize, cocoyam and so many others.
Extensive Road Network
It is not news that Akwa Ibom has one of the best road networks in the country, the roads are also of great quality. This makes it easy to transport farm produce from rural areas to urban markets and beyond, thereby boosting agricultural trade.
The relatively low traffic congestion across the state also makes it great for logistics, enabling faster delivery times and efficient supply chains.
Growing Infrastructure
Akwa Ibom has an airport which currently serves the state and travelers visiting neighbouring state, Abia. A cargo terminal and an aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul facility is currently being constructed.
The state is poised to build a seaport, the Ibom deep seaport, which will transform Akwa Ibom into a major maritime hub, facilitating international trade and boosting the local economy. A refinery is also in the works by BUA.
Other notable infrastructures in the state that attract visitors yearly are the Godswill Akpabio Stadium which currently hosts the country’s national team and the amalgamation house.
Business Ideas to Start in Akwa Ibom State
1. Agricultural plantations
You cannot go wrong with agriculture. Akwa Ibom has a fertile land suitable for growing cash crops like;
- Oil Palm plantation
- Plantain
- Banana
- Coconut
- Cassava
- Cocoa
If you go into farming any of these cash crops, there are endless buyers waiting to buy them.
2. Palm Oil packaging
As a palm oil producing State, packaging palm oil and selling across the world is a business opportunity that should not be overlooked. Although, a number of people are already doing this in Akwa Ibom, you can make yours better.
Instead of packaging the palm oil in a used bottled water plastic, you can get unique plastic containers from companies that produce them, fill it with palm oil, seal the covering, then put your branded label on it.
Your branded label should contain your logo, a brand name that you have trademarked, a NAFDAC registration number and every other important detail that needs to be there. When you do this, you will be able to sell your Palm oil in Supermarkets or sell them abroad.
3. Cocoa Processing Business
Akwa Ibom State is a net producer of Cocoa. Cocoa is used in producing items like Cocoa powder, Chocolate and beverages. This makes it possible to create a Cocoa processing factory within the state.
You can own a Cocoa plantation or buy from Cocoa farmers and process into finished products that can be sold anywhere in the world.
4. Goat farming a processing
Goat meat is a popular and nutritious staple in Nigeria. Although not as common as beef, Goat meat is a close contender to the most consumed meat in Nigeria.
Unlike cow’s, Goat’s require minimal resources to rear. It takes an average of 12 to 18 months for a typical Goat to mature. The meat can be sold to supermarkets or restaurants within and outside Akwa Ibom.
Goat poop can also be sold to farmers as manure.
5. Poultry feed production
There are lots of poultry businesses yet not enough locally produced, high quality feed to meet their needs. With a poultry feed business, you will be able to supply feeds to poultry owners not just in Akwa Ibom but also in neighbouring states like Rivers and Abia.
The best part of starting a poultry feed business in Akwa Ibom is that most of the raw materials required to produce the feed are available in Akwa Ibom.
6. Package delivery
As more people tilt into buying things online, the demand for delivery services is surging. In this business, you are expected to offer last mile delivery; that is, picking items from a point and delivering it to the customer’s doorstep.
Most businesses that sell online especially from outside Lagos who receive orders from Akwa Ibom need delivery services to pick up these items from bus parks and deliver it to the customers residence.
You can start a delivery business and offer this service to businesses within and outside Akwa Ibom.
7. Soap Production
Soap is gotten from a chemical reaction called saponification. It involves mixing fats or oils like Palm oil and a base like sodium hydroxide, this mixture in the right proportion results to a bar soap. For liquid soap, fats and oils are usually mixed with potassium hydroxide.
You can learn soap making and start production at a small scale. Your products can be sold in stores or supermarkets, depending on your packaging.
8. Professional Cab Driver
If you have a car, you can start a cab business in Akwa Ibom. To make the most money from this business in Akwa Ibom, there’s a technique to use;
The most profitable route at the moment is to and fro the Victor Attah international airport. Cab drivers charge as much as ₦20,000 for a 15 minute trip to the airport or out of the airport.
As a cab driver, you can partner with hotels to get a commission for customers you bring to them.
You can also offer tour services to people visiting Akwa Ibom for the first time. When you pick a passenger, you can give them your phone number and tell them the services you render.
9. Building Materials
Estates, public infrastructures and private residences are popping up in different parts of Akwa Ibom. Building contractors need where to buy materials, creating a opportunity for the building materials business. In this business, you can sell iron rods, cement, woods, doors, toilet and bathroom finishings, kitchen sinks, plumbing materials and other essentials.
10. Education and Training Centres
Skills such as digital marketing, graphic design, coding, video editing, and lots more are not being taught in schools. This creates an opportunity to create a learning facility where you can teach one or more of these skills for a fee.
You can reach out to business owners within the state to train their staff on skills that can help improve their business.
For example, every business needs to be on social media, and by offering training on video editing, graphic design and other forms of content creation, you are equipping their staff with the required knowledge to grow the business social media pages, thereby increasing sales. This is a service business owners within Akwa Ibom will be willing to pay for.
11. Hospitality and Tourism Business
Akwa Ibom State has good PR. There is a positive perception about how good Akwa Ibom food is, the culture, how nice and homely the people are, how peaceful the state is. There are people from other states or outside Nigeria who want to visit Akwa Ibom because of the things they have heard.
You can capitalize on this opportunity by creating a hospitality and tourism business in the following areas;
- Create a tour service for people coming for vacation in Akwa Ibom. Your service will include picking them from the airport, booking them in hotels you’ve partnered with, taking them around historical places around Akwa Ibom to sightsee. Make sure they taste the local delicacies and enjoy their stay in Akwa Ibom.
- A Boat cruise service at Ibeno beach is also a good idea. Boat cruise services are not for tourists alone, companies can book these services for their staff retreat, individuals who want to celebrate a special event or music artists who want to shoot videos.
12. Co-work Spaces
As more people are learning digital skills, there’s a rise in demand for co-working spaces where people can come with their laptops to work, connect and discuss ideas with like minds.
Creating a coworking space in a place like Uyo will tap into this growing trend, offering a productive hub for freelancers, remote workers and entrepreneurs.
13. Football Academy
Football is a lucrative career path if done with the right training, discipline, exposure and professional guidance. Parents, especially father’s are increasingly supportive, recognising the potential for their children to succeed on the pitch and bring pride and prosperity to their families.
You can create a football Academy where kids can come in for training after school. Instead of charging on a monthly basis, you can charge parents per semester (3 or 4 months).
There are schools in America and Europe that offer scholarships to kids who are talented in Football, you can assist your best students by helping them apply for these scholarships. You can also expose them to football trials and scouts.
14. Sports Journalist
With platforms like YouTube and X, becoming a sports journalist has never been easier. Akwa Ibom State hosts the Super Eagles at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium. When there’s a football match, the national team and the opposing side both train at the stadium.
Football fans want to see behind-the-scenes footage, player interviews, training session highlights and match previews.
As a sports journalist, you can also cover Nigeria premier football league matches in Akwa Ibom and neighbouring states like Abia, Rivers and Enugu.
You can earn money by uploading your original videos to YouTube or Facebook.
15. Dry Cleaning Business
The secret of a successful dry cleaning business that will thrive in Akwa Ibom is location. Get a shop close to highbrow areas like Shelter Afrique, Ewet Housing etc and offer your dry cleaning services.
You can offer pickup and home delivery for an extra fee; that is, you go to the home of your clients to pick up the clothes and deliver when you are done.
16. Become a Kindle Publisher
Do you know how to write and share your knowledge or stories with the world? You can make a ton of money by selling to an international audience on Amazon Kindle. All you need to do is to write compelling content– whether it’s a self-help guide, a novel or educational resource– and publish it using kindle direct publishing with just a laptop/smartphone and an internet connection.
Amazon will let you publish your book for free. They only charge a small commission when you make a sale. If a customer wants the hardcopy of your book, Amazon will print it and send it to them without any initial cost.
17. Block Molding
Everyday, there’s building construction going on in Akwa Ibom, especially in Uyo, the state capital. Building contractors and their clients often prefer to buy moulded blocks instead of moulding from scratch because it makes the job of the contractor a lot easier and the client gets a completed building faster.
Apart from the usual 9 and 6 inches block, you can also produce specialised blocks like interlocking blocks, decorative blocks, and lightweight blocks to cater for diverse construction needs.
18. Home Tutor Agency
Every parent wants their kids to excel academically, and with the high literacy rate in Akwa Ibom State and a growing demand for quality education, a home tutor agency can provide personalized learning support to boost students’ performance.
As a home tutor agency, you will hire and screen tutors who are good at taking lessons in subjects like Mathematics, English language, Chemistry, Physics and Economics. The tutors will go to the homes of the students and take lessons while the parents pay the agency the agreed fee, either before lessons commence or at the end of the month.
You can also combine this with a tutorial centre for parents who cannot afford home tutors.
19. Fairly Used Electronics and Gadgets
Who doesn’t love to adore their living rooms with the latest gadgets? With the growing middle class and youthful population who crave affordable gadgets, selling fairly used electronics like smartphones, laptops, soundbars, gaming consoles can be lucrative. You can buy these products directly from shippers in Apapa or buy directly from foreign websites and sell in Akwa Ibom.
You can also source items from people who want to sell their used items. You can buy the products a little below market value, add your profit and sell it. After selling off the item, you pay the previous owner the agreed sum.
We hope with this article, you have learnt about businesses you can do in Akwa Ibom State Nigeria. You can also check out our article on how to register a business in Nigeria and how to file annual returns on CAC.
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