To many, Abuja is portrayed as “virgin land for lucrative investment” in Nigeria. Being the capital city of Nigeria, thousands of local and foreign investors have steadily streamed in, in search of greener pastures.
For instance, the real estate sector is booming as thousands of people are renting and paying for a house(s) to call a home. Schools and colleges are setting up, shop left, right and center.
Strategically located residential houses are being converted to supermarkets, malls, pharmaceutical stores and the likes. Clinics and hospitals are popping up everywhere.
Related: How to save money and get rich easily as a young person in Abuja
For a capital city less than 40 years old, Abuja is indeed becoming a hot business destination.
Here are 20 lucrative business ideas one can look into if interested on investing in Abuja while still working or otherwise:
1. Hair salon/barber shop
People will always want to make their hair. Just ensure you find a strategic location , set up shop and watch the ‘chums’ rolling in. Residential-commercial zones are always best for hair salons or barber shops.
Related: List of Restaurants in Abuja, Nigeria Selling the Best Local Foods
2. Grocery/provision sales
People must stock their houses with groceries such as bread, ketchup, salt, sugar and the likes. A neat shop in a strategic location will earn you a decent amount every day too!
3. School bus service
Majority of Abuja parents are working class people who honestly do not have time to drive their children to school and home every day. So long as your company is duly registered, your vehicle is intact and you prove your trust-worthiness to parents, you are bound to get a lot of committed clients for your school bus company
4. School uniform design/supply
The majority of Abuja schools require children to wear uniforms. Some schools directly sell their uniforms while others refer you to where you can buy the school’s colors. A uniform shop, coupled with some stationary and maybe textbooks isn’t a bad idea.
5. Transportation company
People must go to work, to church, to the market,to school. In essence, people must move. Taxi drivers in Abuja are some of the highest earning entrepreneurs with some raking up to 15,000 naira a day! A duly registered transportation company that offers comfortable rides to customers can attract you a decent daily earning.
6. Agricultural and farm products (including beef/fish/ chicken)
We “Abujians” love our chicken, our fish and our beef. If you set up a cold-room/ store in a strategic location and market it well, be sure to have more than enough customers. Farms are also the in-thing at the moment.
People love their organic produce and farm fresh meat. If you can afford it, think as big as owning a cattle ranch. Google up some of the world’s renowned cattle ranches and invite them to Nigeria. Think along those lines, You won’t regret.
7. Fuel station
Whether we like it or not, we must buy fuel, and ironically, there are parts of the FCT where you drive for close to 30 minutes without sight of a fuel station. If you can afford to set one up, go ahead! It is a worthy business with high ROI.
8. Hospital/Clinics
As human beings, falling sick is inevitable. Federal Hospitals in Abuja can get so packed and stuffy sometimes that when you head there sick, you walk out even sicker! If you have the capital, think health, because health is wealth!
9. Gardens/lounges/entertainment joints
We “Abujians” love our gardens and lounges. Somewhere we can sit down, have some cold beer, gossip, catch up with friends, watch soccer, eat fish and just chill out. Damage on our pockets, but BIG money for you!
10. Real estate/Construction Company
Like they say, real estate is a “real business”. The FCT is Nigeria’s fastest growing city, and every day, hundreds of people move to the city in search for greener pastures.
If you could think of constructing mass but affordable houses (a la EFAB estates with better quality), you are bound to make cool cash! You can also set up a real-estate consulting firm, where you offer sales/marketing services to real estate developers/home owners.
11. Building materials
Building materials goes hand in hand with real estate. After all, where will the developers get the materials to build from?
12. Interior design
While the real estate sector is booming, so is the demand for interior designers. Someone has to make the inside look beautiful after all!
13. Electronics store
People must buy phones, fridges, refrigerators, chargers and the likes. There are quite a number of such shops in Abuja, but if you can assure your customers of high quality products (with warranty), they will come back for more
14. Furniture store
Abuja is becoming famous for furniture. It has actually become so famous that foreigners from Ghana, Togo and other neighbouring countries come all the way to Abuja to buy authentic quality furniture. It’s a good business but requires rigorous marketing
15. Security Company
In as much as Abuja is one of the safest cities in Nigeria, there are still cases of crime from time to time. It is absolutely essential every plaza, estate, office has an able security guard.
Finding a trust worthy security guard can also prove to be difficult, thus a security company with well trained and well equipped honest staff will thrive
16. Dog breeding
Dogs in Abuja are also big necessities. If you live in a big compound or a big estate, you may consider getting one. One dog can go for N50,000 to N200,000. Big money huh!
17. Eatery/Catering Services
Almost every weekend, there are weddings, birthday parties, child naming ceremonies and the likes that require mass cooking. Catering companies always rake big from such. With effective marketing, one is bound to make a decent sum.
18. Event Hall/Tent rentals
Almost every weekend, there are weddings, birthday parties, child naming ceremonies and the likes that require either event halls or tents. Halls go for not less than N150,000 to N 1.8 million a day! Big money ooo!
19. Short-term Skill acquisition training sessions
A wise person will always see knowledge as an important asset, thus, a lot of wise “Abujians” are willing to spend an extra dime on skill- acquisition courses that will position them for financial freedom. Such courses usually range from as cheap as N5,000 to N100,000 depending on what is being taught
20. HR services
Last but not the least, ‘Abujians’ are hard-working people because they need to survive on the high cost of living, but if only there were agencies you could drop your CV with, the agency would aggressively look for a job for you, when you get your first salary, they collect a percentage… na money o!
A few others include: Affordable solar energy for homes, computerized mechanic services, concierge services, souvenir making, event management, delivery services. home tutoring services, ‘haute couture’ fashion design services…the list is endless honestly.
Best of luck as you invest in Abuja!
