Lagos — Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State has said government is set to build an international market at the cost of over N15 billion.

Shekarau also hinted that all the wholesale businesses in the state would be relocated to the market.

He said the decision to build the market was to conduct business in a more conducive environment with all modern facilities like in any other business environment in the developed world.

The governor said all the arrangements for the construction of the market had been concluded and that the market, which will take off soon, would be known as Kanawa market.

Shekarau said on completion, all businesses in Kano would be relocated to the new market to ease the traffic and congestion being experienced in the Kano Central Market.

He also announced the establishment of an ICT park, which he said, would assist in fast tracking the economy of the state.

The governor said the park was a product of the state ICT policy earlier developed by some experts for the state.

According to him, the 10-story Ado Bayero building is housing the ICT Village, which will be completed in the next two months.Speaking on revenue generation in the state, Shekarau said revenue generation of the state increased by 100 per cent and would soon grow by more than 300 per cent due to the involvement of revenue consultants.

He said the state government had blocked all leakages and would also explore new areas of collectable revenues to achieve its target, which he said, would go a long way in cushioning the effects of the current economic meltdown.

Shekarau said the state government had also embarked on massive agricultural

activities, known as integrated agriculture, where a Malaysian partner was currently testing a programme by cultivating 200 hectares of rice.

He said in the first five years of the rice scheme in the state, over 1.4 million tonnes of rice was produced and that the quantity increased to 4.5 million tonnes last year, showing an increase of over 400 per cent.

He disclosed that the state's five-point economic agenda was also focusing on education since it would address the manpower needed for the economic development of the state.

According to him, 30 secondary schools are being equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities needed to achieve the desired goal of the state by 2011.