The Viral Alaba Market Video and Aba Shoe Sector
Nigeria is proud of Aba, for the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of the makers and artisans working therein. However, Aba has been a promise which for decades has not delivered on its leather industry.
As Nigerians make a video message from an American (the Igbo apprenticeship system) go viral because he had told us what we already know, in a foreign accent, I want to make this real with Aba case study.
But it is not just Aba - from Ife (was there last year in NACETEM) to Kano (was there last month), Nigeria has everything we need to have a working nation. We do not need an American to tell us that. Yet, I am happy he said it because he could rekindle in us that we have got things to build upon.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
The fact is this: Aba could be great and has the sparks of genius to compete with Italy and Spain in the leather industry. But that is a promise; it has to be made real.