Borno state is one of the 36 states in Nigeria, created on the 3rd of February, 1976 and it is located in the North Eastern part of the country. The capital of Borno state is Maiduguri and the state has twenty seven local government areas. The predominant ethnic groups in Borno state are the Kanuri people, the Babur and the Shuwa Arab (descendants of Arabized Fulani People)
Islam is the main religion of the people of Borno state with few people practicing Christianity. The languages that are widely spoken in Borno state are Hausa, Fulfulde and English. Although, Borno state is nicked name ‘the home of peace’ but in recent time insurgence has made the town a warzone.
The infamous Chibok schoolgirls kidnap incidence readily comes to mind when insurgence is mentioned in Nigeria. But hopefully, all that will change soon because the Federal government of Nigeria in conjunction with the government of Chad and Cameroun are dealing heavy blow to insurgence that are known as Boko Haram.
The government is the major employer of labor in Borno state. A large percentage of people in the state capital are into commerce and trade, whilst people in rural area engage in farming and fishing (for those who live close to Lake Chad). Borno state can also boast of having large deposits of the following solid minerals; diatomite, clay, limestone, hydro – carbon, gypsium, kaolin and bentonite. Because of Nigeria’s dependent on crude oil and gas, these mineral resources are left untapped.
So if you are looking towards starting your own business in Borno state, then you will find this top 10 business opportunity helpful;
10 Small Business Investment Opportunities in Borno State
1. Groundnut Farming
Borno state is one of the states in Nigeria that is highly suitable for the cultivation of groundnuts. If you are interested in starting a business in the agric sector in Borno state, then you should consider starting your own groundnut farm. It is cheaper and most convenient to start farming groundnut in a commercial level in Borno state.
2. Motor Bike and Tricycle Sale and Repair Shop
Motor bikes and tricycles are the most common means of transportation in Borno state, especially within short distance routes around the state. If you have the capital required, you can go into the importation of motor bikes and tricycles and you are sure of getting buyers. If you want to make it big with this type of business, you can as well add the sale of spare parts and repairs of motor bikes and tricycles to your business.
3. Transportation Business
Transportation business is another business that an entrepreneur can comfortably start in Borno state. Although this type of business is capital intensive because of the cost of purchasing brand new buses, but if it is well managed, you are sure going to get good returns on your investment. Loads of people travel from Maiduguri the state capital to Abuja, Jos, Lagos and other parts of Nigeria on a daily basis hence if your interstate transportation company is well positioned, you will attract these clients.
4. Football Viewing Centre
People in Maiduguri especially the youths love watching football matches and most of these matches (English premiership and Spanish La Liga) are not shown on local TV stations. You can leverage on this need and start a football viewing centre – a place where people can come watch their favorite team play.
All you need to do to start this type of business is to rent a space that is big enough to contain over 50 people, get big TV screens ( 2 or 3 will be ok for a start), a power generating set, chairs and a satellite TV decoder. Just ensure that your Football viewing centre is secured and you will attract loads of football lovers.
5. Cattle Ranch
Cattle ranch is another business that is viable and profitable to start in Borno state. Meat and milk are generally consumed by most households in Nigeria except for very few people who are vegetarians. Once you can successfully setup your cattle ranch in Borno state, you can explore the market in the southern part of Nigeria to sell your cattle. It is more profitable to sell in the southern part of Nigeria than in the North.
6. Tomato Processing Plant
Borno state is also highly suitable for the cultivation of tomatoes and one of the futuristic businesses an investor should think of starting is tomatoes processing plant. The fact that you can get your raw material at a very cheap rate in Borno state, cheap labor and cheap land makes it profitable to setup a tomato processing plant.
7. Onion Farming Business
Onion is another crop that can easily be cultivated in Borno state. You can start your own onion plantation in Borno state, and then make plans to transport it to other parts of the Country and even neighboring countries as well.
8. Electronics Shop
If you are looking towards starting an easy to setup business in Borno state, then you can consider opening your own electronic shop. Just ensure that you rent a shop in one of the major markets in Maiduguri and you will sure have enough customers that will patronize you on a daily basis.
9. Water Refill Station
Most homes find it difficult accessing pipe borne water, simply because the government have not been able to make it possible. Most residence in Maiduguri and other smaller cities in Borno state patronize local water vendors. You can leverage on this need and establish your own water refill station. Once people know that they can get treated water from your station, at a cheap rate, they will sure buy from you.
10. Mechanic Workshop
Maiduguri is one of the biggest cities in Northern Nigeria and it boasts of having high volume of automobiles. If you are a trained mechanic, you can establish your own mechanic workshop and you won’t struggle to attract customers.
There you have it; the top 10 business opportunities in Borno state.