By Uzo Ugwunze
In its bid to better the trading welfare of traders in Anambra State, their umbrella body, Anambra State Markets Amalgamated Traders’ Association, ASMATA, yesterday at the popular Onitsha Main market, introduced ASMATA E-commerce Plus platform an online business transaction initiative.
The ASMATA E-commerce Plus platform, meant for traders to meet up with the current digital world, will ease business transactions within minutes as it is done with online applications.
Unveiling the initiative, the ASMATA E-commerce Plus platform Application Developer, (APP), Engr. Mike Nnebo, said that the ASMATA e-commerce plus platform will help Anambra markets to be online for fast sales and products delivery.
“This online business platform provides an opportunity that will help the growth of businesses of every shop owner in Anambra markets.
“The ASMATA e-commerce plus platform will help you upload your products and showcase them to the public and the outside world to make purchases, especially now some parts of Onitsha Main Market has been demolished for reconstruction. While the reconstruction is ongoing, the traders will be selling on this ASMATA e-commerce plus platform pending when the reconstruction is completed.
“This will help Onitsha main market to be functional till the completion of the structure, to avoid what happened to Yaba Market Lagos, when Past Gov. of Lagos State restructured the market without a platform like ASMATA e-commerce plus which affected the Yaba market negatively. The Market was not able to completely restore its lost glory till date.
“ASMATA management will inform the heads of each market on how to navigate when using ASMATA e-commerce plus platform and all shops should participate on this platform for healthy competitive sales and purchases.
“The ASMATA e-commerce plus platform operates offline and online and we have stand-by agents that checkmate the goods or items before sending them to their destinations, (owners)”, Nnebo assured.
In his speech, the ASMATA President General, PG, Chief Humphrey Anuna, described Onitsha Main market as the largest in West Africa and as such needs such online business initiative.
“I am surprise at the large turn out of traders to witness the introduction of the ASMATA E-commerce plus platform because it was less than 24 hours when I informed the market leadership of the event that will take place this Friday.
“Also I am happy that Governor Chukwuma Soludo has restored the lost glory of Onitsha Main market by restructuring it with its original master plan. We, traders are happy with him,” Anuna said.
Contributing, the ASMATA Onitsha zonal chairman, Chief Eric Uwaoma said, “It is a welcome development but the organizers should teach us how to use the form because it is something new.I am the first to procure the form and register and I know others will follow suit. Good things are coming to traders in Anambra and I commend ASMATA leadership for the initiative”.
Chairman of Sokoto road market, Hon. Emeka Mbachu, expressed satisfaction with the introduction of the online business transaction and urged the traders to key into it for their own good.
Moreso,the host, Onitsha Main market chairman, Chief Chijioke Okpalaugo, expressed satisfaction also with the benefits the traders will derive from the project, and commended ASMATA leadership for its efforts in the welfare of traders.
Okpalaugo urged the traders to display their wares on the online platform as it has many benefits pointing out that the world has become a digital place.
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