Calabar needs a new City that would trigger her Economic prosperity…
I made a post last year on why I think the best use of Tinapa and the areas around would be to build something like Talent City to help Calabar become an alternative to Lagos when it comes to the Tech ecosystem. Last year, the tech ecosystem in Africa attracted about $4b in funding and Nigeria had almost half of it at $1.37b. Every two hours, a Nigerian startup raised $1m and they are all in Lagos.
A lot of that funding goes into hiring and infrastructure for the startups. Lagos gets a lot of that money as a large number of the employees of those companies lives and work in Lagos.
But here is the thing. Lagos is the most politically stable and economically developed state but not so great living in and with the remote culture now, people are looking for great options. Ibadan is benefiting from these lapses of Lagos most startups are also in Abuja too and I think with great planning and execution, Calabar can position itself to become an alternative and the next tech destination in Nigeria.
Its potentials are untapped – Low cost of living, easy navigation, city growth and expansion but what is needed to unlock that economic potential, is people with capital AKA spending power (people who have money to buy goods and services and invest locally). Because Cross River is at the end of things geographically, Anyone going to Calabar must-have business there. It’s not where you just travel through so something must pull you there and make that happen, there has to be that magnetic effect to pull, the “Right people and right resources” there to kick start commerce at scale and grow the local economy.
Tech can be “one” most effective way to make that happen.
Talent city is an idea by the founder of Future Africa and was born out of the need to solve the challenge of infrastructure, mobility and enabling environment faced by tech startups in Lagos.
The prototype city of this project seeks to feature a central co-working campus and a variety of housing options, which will be home to 1,000 residents and 2,500 remote workers.
Already, Talent City Lagos has acquired a 72,000-square-meter plot of land located in Alaro City, a 2-000 hectare city-scale development area in the Lekki Free Zone. And they have raised more than $13 million for its Lagos project. More money for Lagosians and leading tech VCs and Startups will be their founding residents meaning they would move their operations to the city when it’s ready as their office address.
Imagine all these was Calabar?
Here is my point, Tech in Africa nay Nigeria is growing at a rapid scale. Looking at the amount raised in 2020 and 2021, you’d see the growth rate is crazy and Lagos alone cannot carter to hold all these startups growing nor can It alone provide the environment these startups would need alone.
The living condition or environment has not improved to suit the hunger and desires of these entrepreneurs and Talent city might do the magic.
Here is the opportunity for Cross River state, to introduce Calabar into the discussion and tap into what talent city wants to do to open up its economy and make Cross River nay Calabar the tech/ tourist destination of Africa 2.0.
The first big wave of Calabar to the world was spearheaded by tourism and hospitality now that the world is a remote-first world and tech is huge globally it’s time to build a hybrid system and let tech drive the movement, not just tourism.
Make Calabar the preferred tech city in Africa with tourism as an incentive.
There is already a foundation this can sit on in terms of location. Build a new city that supports the needs of this tech ecosystem in terms of infrastructure, provide the enabling environment and watch people relocate to live and work in Calabar for the world.
To make this happen, the government would need to speak with Talent city and propose this to them for a possible partnership and get all those needed to make it work onboard. I understand this is not a 1-year project but it’s possible within an administration if the governor is serious.
This can be self-sustaining, with no loans needed but a well structured PPA.
Imagine the companies and talent you can attract into your city from around the world when you build a tech city (like silicon valley) in your city. Automatically, people with high income become residents in your city and this can boost the local economy by 100X. Also, you expose your citizens to unlimited opportunities.
It all starts with that foresight, political will, sincerity and strategic partnership.
The train is about to move, Talent City Lagos is about to kick start, Talent City Calabar should also be a thing and the government should make this happen.
Make Calabar a modern global tech city. The government should Call Iyin Aboyeji (Founder of Future Africa/ Talent city) and say, “Whatever it takes, we want in”.
Justus Inspire Oseuno writes from Lagos
