Nigeria’s furniture export profile has received a boost with the move by Cyrus Doors and Joinery, a leading manufacturer and installer of furniture and joinery products, to Alaro City, the new mixed-use city in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos.
Cyrus plans to expand into the Sub-Saharan Africa’s construction scene and will use its new factory in the Alaro City to manufacture furniture and enhance training of local artisans.
The Chief Executive Officer of Cyrus Doors and Joinery, Alero Imo, said: “The new facility will enhance our ability to produce doors, wardrobes, and kitchens of international standards.
“In seeking the perfect place to host this new facility; the choice of Alaro City was an easy one. It is not only a city with international standards, but also also a free trade zone. For us, that is important as we now position ourselves to export to the world proudly-produced Nigerian doors and furniture.”
Launched in January 2019, Alaro City is planned as a 2,000-hectare mixed-income, city-scale development with industrial and logistics locations, complemented by offices, homes, schools, healthcare facilities, hotels, entertainment and 150 hectares (370 acres) of parks and open spaces.
The city is a partnership between Rendeavour, Africa’s largest new city builder and Lagos State.
Over 3.5km of initial road networks and a modular 50MVA power plant are under construction. So far, about 40 firms are operational or in various stages of building their facilities in the city.
Among the pioneering firms in Alaro City is Starium FZE, a subsidiary of BUA Group. Others include Mantrac Caterpillar, Ariel Foods FZE, the largest and most technically advanced ready-to-eat therapeutic foods producer in Africa, and HMD.
Chairman of Alaro City, Ayo Gbeleyi, said the growth of the country’s export is critical to development and commended the the state government for playing a pivotal role in this by building and sustaining such vital partnerships with the private sector as that which gave birth to Alaro City.
He added: “It is heart-warming to see that Nigerian furniture will be exported as Cyrus Doors and Joinery join an elite group of businesses in Alaro City that are making history in diversifying Nigeria’s economy and boosting the nation’s manufacturing and export profile.
From composite gas cylinders to doors, Nigeria is emerging as an export powerhouse and we thank the Lagos State Government and Rendeavour for making Alaro City irresistible to forward-thinking innovators and builders.”
– The Nation