Who We Are?
Our Mission and Vision
Our mission is to utilize our commitment in establishing a good relationship throughout the agricultural value chain with all stakeholders, including producers, marketers, processors, transporters, educational sectors, and end-users. Our aim is to improve food security in West Africa and across the globe.
Our vision is to build a bridge between buyers and sellers, enabling easy, honest and reliable transactions both locally and internationally. Additionally, we aim to provide up-to-date information on the prices of agricultural produce after making appropriate data collections, organization, presentation and analysis. This will not only increase customers’ confidence but also effectively yield profitable transactions.
How we Started the Journey.
DAWANAU INTERNATIONAL GRAINS MARKET.
The market was established in the 1985. It’s creation was triggered by two incidences: (1) – As a result of the fire outbreak in the then GALADIMA Market, Kano, which consumed several stores of grains, properties, shops and resulted in lost of Millions of Naira. (2) – Increased traffic congestion around the market areas caused by the to-and-fro movement of heavy trucks that offload and carry the Agricultural Commodities from the market. Consequently, on 15th August 1985 during the leadership of Alh. Bashir Garko – the – Dawakin Tofa LGA Sole administrator and Air Commodor Hamza Abdullahi the then Kano state Governor, four main commodity sections of the market were removed from their initial place (Galadima road) and relocated to (here) Dawanau Town, (Dawanau Market) Kano. The affected sections are Sorghum, Garri/Cassava, Yam and Transport sections (Garage). Some moments later, (Temporary) section came in to existence and full operations.
Dawanau International Grain Market is located in Kano State, North-Western part of Nigeria in West Africa. It has an estimated land size of 5 KM square. It is situated along Kano-Katsina way leading to five major Nigerians boarders such as Maigatari, Babura, Zango, Mai’aduwa (Kongolam) and Jibiya.
For decades, the market has been a hub of West African grain business. It has also been a source of employment as well as huge revenue generation to Contributor to both the Federal, State and Local Governments levels.
It is also on the record that the market has been a source of pride to grains merchants and farmers as it gives them an opportunity to trade openly on a fair ground with maximum security of their lives and investments.
The market started with four food crops such as Sorghum, Millet, Garri and Yam and extend to mini export to neighboring countries like Niger, Cameroon, Chad, Benin, Mali and Senegal. And, we provide food for local consumption.
Dawanau International Grains Market also serves as a storage centre for grains, to regulate the commodity’s price and healthy when the need arises.
Moreover, with increase in customers’ patronize, the market had gradually became a centre for exportation of cash crops to international markets. We export Soya beans, Cowpea, Sesame Seeds, Peanut, Pepper, Tamarin, Ginger, Cassia Tora seeds, Boubon (Seeds, Powder and Leaves) Cassava Chips, Garri, Cashew nut, Pigeon beans, Rice, Maize, Moringa, Hibiscus Flower popularly known as Zobo, among others.
“It is not easy to get best offers in terms of grains and prices as compared to what is obtainable in Dawanau market. That is why the market is able to maintain its status as the best and biggest grains market in Africa,
In addition to that, with the recent development going on in the market, various foreign business communities from Asia, America, Europe, India, Arab and other parts of the world have begun to establish their expertrade companies in and around the market.
Sometimes universities and colleges of Agriculture and agencies sends their researchers to Dawanau market to conduct research on some of the seeds, Nut and grains that have been discovered to have medicinal or health benefits or to improve values and quantitative production during farming.
Mother Association:
DAWANAU INTERNATIONAL GRAINS MARKET TRADER’S ASSOCIATION. (DIGMATA)
In order to coordinate the activities of the market and provide collective sense of direction in the way transactions are being undertaken, the Dawanau International Grains Market Traders Association was established in 1998 in order to promote and defend the interest of Marketers, Labourers, buyers Drivers and the rest of the market users.
The organizational structure (leadership) came from the different associations and cooperative societies within the market in which every commodity Association has its own representative to form the mother Association.
ASSOCIATIONS AND COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES LEADERSHIP
There are 32 registered commodities and non-commodities associations and cooperative societies, and they have registered members of at least 20,850; in which 2,621 are females and they came from different trade, and unregistered members are over 1,600 (Market users) as daily visitors such as buyers, suppliers, drivers, hawkers and host of others.
The commodities associations are :-
1- Sesame seeds trader’s association
2- Millet trader’s association.
3 – Sorghum trader’s association.
4 – Soya beans trader’s association.
5 – Cassava Chips trader’s association.
6 – Garri trader’s association.
7 – Maize trader’s association.
8- Yam trader’s association.
9 Dust recycling association.
10 – Cassia Tora trader’s association.
11 – Peanut (Ground Nut) traders. association.
12 – Beans trader’s agent association.
13-Chile Pepper trader’s association.
14 – Hibiscus flower trader’s association
15 – Rice processers / traders association.
16- Moringer seeds trader’s association.
17- Bambara Nut trader’s association.
19- Cowpea trader’s association.
20-Tarmerind trader’s association.
21 – Pigeon beans trader’s association.
22 – Bourbon seeds and powder trader’s association.
23 – Cashew nuts trader’s association.
24 – Wheat traders cooperative society
THE NON-COMMODITIES ARE :-
1- Transportation association
2- (Labourers) Loaders and off loaders association.
3-Diesel and gas trader’s association
4- Restaurant and Food vendors association
5- Empties bags trader’s association
6- GSM Association.
7 – Cleaning machine operators association.
8 – Weight bridge owner’s cooperative society.
PARTNERS
The market is in partnership with:
I) Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC)
Nigerian Commodities Exchange (NCX),
II) Federal and State ministries of Agric.
III) FewsNET,
IV) West African cross boarder trader’s association (WACTAF)
V) International institute of tropical Agriculture (IITA)
VI) Educational sectors such as Universities Colleges of Agriculture for a research and those who are in need of market information and commodities’ prices.
FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
a) Currently we have 6,365 shops that operate daily and 250 Warehouses in which almost 98 Warehouses contained cleaning machineries for cleaning Soya, Sesame, Millet, Sorghum, Cassia Tora and host of others, And 99 % of the Warehouses are owned by an individual(s)or a company. Companies such as OLAM, WAVE TRADE, GREEN FIELD ETG, WACOT VALANCES, SPRINGFIELD, AFEX are among the cash crops buyers in the market and so on.
There is 10 weighing bridge scales and at least 100 Midium digital scales that can weight 2 tones at a time. We also have 60 small ones that can measure 50 Kgs tones at a time.
There are 6 conventional Banks and many POS, we also have a police station, handle by a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), and FIRE SERVICES UNIT with their fire fighting equipments.
A plan have gone far for providing a one stop shop in the market, which will be called as an agency office for quick, smooth, export processing and it will contained – Customs Officers, NDLEA, Corinten, Immagration, NAFDAC representatives and all other concerned stakeholders.
Our Core Values
Our core values define the principles that guide our actions and behaviors, both as individuals and as an association. They reflect our commitment to integrity, excellence, collaboration, innovation, and growth. We believe that these values are essential for creating a positive impact on our clients, employees, and the community.
We are dedicated to upholding these values in everything we do, from the products and services we offer to the way we interact with our customers and colleagues. We strive to be a leader in our industry by demonstrating these values consistently and with sincerity.
These are our core values that guarantee safe and effective customer satisfaction.
- Quality Assurance, Transparency, Customer Satisfaction
- Sustainability, Integrity, Innovation
- Community Engagement and Adaptability