Abuja is such a beautiful place, architecturally and naturally. It is a city dotted by solemn, fertile hills, meandering lakes, clay and sandy soil, sunny days and cool nights, cheerful people, Government workers, hordes of contractors, and Business people. Bottom line, Abuja is RICH. It is therefore not surprising that so many upscale developments are springing up all over the city. Malls which promote retail and leisure are a part and parcel of a Rapidly Growing Metropolis, an attraction to Capitalists. Actis and Duval Properties (known names in the Investment and Development circles) have joined forces to create the Jabi Lake Mall Development Company for the construction of Jabi Lake Mall which sits on 5 hectares of land overlooking the Jabi Lake.
The Jabi Lake Mall, though still under construction promises to be the biggest and best mall in Nigeria thus far, and going by Actis’ history, Jabi Lake Mall would definitely be all that and more. A tour around the construction site with Michael Chu’di Ejekam, a Director Real Estate at Actis, a private equity investor with $7 billion assets under management and the Mall Development Management, Laurus Development Partners represented by Stephen Hynes, provided confirmation that there will indeed be two retail levels consisting of 25,000m2 and over 100 shops with Game and Shoprite each taking 5,000m2. There will be a 5 screen cinema of 1,400m2 operated by Silverbird, a food court on the 1st Level, a children’s entertainment area and a restaurant boulevard on the ground level fronting Jabi Lake with full accessibility from the boardwalk. Car parking for 733 cars will be provided on both levels to offer shoppers access on either level. The tenant mix is a variety of local, national and international brands with Game, Shoprite and Silverbird already signed up. Amongst the best news about the Jabi Lake Mall is its job creation. Over 1000 jobs are being created with the construction of the mall from construction to establishment, as confirmed by both parties.
Michael Chu’di Ejekam also commented “Building on the successes of Ikeja City Mall and The Palms, Actis is developing the next generation retail experience, offering Nigerians and visitors a destination mall to shop, dine and relax in. We are seeing huge demand for such developments, driven by a growing consumer base and a retail revolution.”
Asked about the projected time for the Mall completion and launch, Stephen Hynes (Laurus Devt. Partners) stated that: ‘We are on schedule to complete and open the mall in October, 2015. Retailer demand is strong and we are signing up some very sought after brands that at the moment have no presence in the Nigerian market.’ The mall is hard to miss, especially when coming over the Jabi Bridge. One thing is clear, Abuja and Nigeria is waiting with a lot of anticipation for Jabi Lake Mall.
