Larabar Mata, a community market in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, is providing women entrepreneurs with an avenue to change the narrative of business in the historic city of Kano, a space once predominantly dominated by men.
Kano—
Larabar Mata Market: Kano community market lifting women from poverty.
Larabar Mata, a community market in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, is providing women entrepreneurs with an avenue to change the narrative of business in the historic city of Kano, a space once predominantly dominated by men.
The market was established nearly two decades ago. It was initially dominated by male traders selling staple food items, household goods, plastics, and aphrodisiacs to women, who make up approximately 80 per cent of the market’s visitors.
However, in recent years, this dynamic has changed significantly. Women are now renting shops and stalls to sell the same wares to their fellow women.
The market serves residents of Magadawa, Mariri, Tsamiya, Zara, Yalman Fulani, and Jumar Galadima communities in Kumbotso LGA, as well as Warawa in Dawakin Kudu LGA.
During a visit to the market by our reporter on Saturday, several women traders and buyers were interviewed. The women narrated how the current economic situation has pushed them into trading at Larabar Mata, citing the need to support their husbands with household responsibilities, the desire for self-reliance, and the fear of resorting to begging as key motivations. They explained that many women in their communities, overwhelmed by hardship, have turned to begging as a means of survival.
“As a woman, it is good to have a business or a job to earn money and assist your husband,” said Hauwa Kulu, a woman who sells plastic items.
“Some people believe that women who do business are wayward and should stop, but it is better to have something doing instead of resorting to begging,” she added.
She recounted how she first started bringing her goods to the market.
“It was after my husband’s death,” she said. “Most of my customers used to buy goods on credit and never paid back. That pushed me to improve my business by bringing my goods to the Larabar Mata market.”
More Women Express Resilience
Zainab Niger, who owns a shop selling aphrodisiacs, narrated how women gradually began coming to Larabar Mata not just as buyers, but as sellers.
“As a woman, you need to struggle to make both ends meet. Even men now prefer to marry a woman who has something doing,” she said.
“I have been in this shop for four years, but the current hardship has affected my sales because more women now come to the market as sellers rather than buyers. Still, I thank God that I managed to make some profit.”
She explained that she rented the shop following advice from a family friend and does take her goods to trade fairs in other states, a move that has helped her become self-reliant.
Another trader, Hadiza Hajiyar Makka said that she decided to start trading because remaining idle as a woman is no longer acceptable, especially looking at the current economic situation.
“Women need to assist their husbands with household responsibilities, including feeding, rent, and school fees,” she said.
However, she lamented the challenge of unpaid debts by customers.
“If we give people goods on credit, they do not pay back. In the previous month, I gave a customer goods worth ₦60,000, and she refused to pay,” she lamented.
Hadiza also expressed dissatisfaction with women and children roaming the streets begging instead of engaging in menial jobs or starting small businesses.
Hauwa Abdullahi, a leader among the women traders in the market, lamented the numerous challenges they face.
She narrated how a fellow female trader was once sentenced to prison despite being innocent.
“What motivated me to start this business was that I initially sold scrap materials before switching to women’s clothing,” she said.
“I advise married women to maintain their integrity. No matter what people say, if you are committed to what you are doing and assisting your husband, you should not be discouraged.
Call for Government Support
Market leaders also called on the Kano State Government to support women traders. They appealed to the Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to provide financial assistance that will help them expand their businesses, noting that many women in the market are divorced or widows taking care of their orphaned children.
Hajiya Fatima, leader of the female traders’ association lamented how harsh economic conditions have forced more women into trading.
“The current economic situation has pushed many women to come to this market to sell their wares,” she said.
“We used to face many security challenges, but the security officials are trying. We do not buy goods from children because most of them are stolen,” she added.
“The government needs to assist women with funds to improve their businesses.”
Data Reveals Millions in Extreme Poverty, with Women Most Affected.
In Northern Nigeria, women have limited opportunities to access education, a lack of resources, poverty, and gender inequality which have pushed millions of women into severe hardship.
Many struggle to fend not for themselves but for their children with unsustainable interventions from both state and federal governments.
According to the World Bank’s April 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief for Nigeria, over 54 per cent of Nigerians — particularly those in rural communities — are living in poverty.
The recent rise in the cost of living across Nigeria, following the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the exchange rate by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who claims policies have improved the nation’s economy, has pushed more Nigerians into poverty, proving the president wrong on his claims.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, during a press briefing at the conclusion of the 2024 IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC, noted that Nigeria’s economy grew by an average of 3.4 per cent in 2024, but added that this growth rate is insufficient to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.
Similarly, Matthew Verghis, Country Director for the World Bank in Nigeria, stated that as of 2025, about 139 million Nigerians are living in extreme poverty, with 63.9 per cent of females classified as poor under the $3.65 per day lower-middle-income poverty line.
To promote sustainable growth, development, and the eradication of gender-based violence across Nigeria, women must be educated and economically empowered. Relevant stakeholders — including government authorities, parents, traditional leaders, and civil society organisations — must renew their commitment to providing a safe and enabling environment for women to thrive and excel.
Sources include official statements, on-record interviews, public documents and verified reporting.
