A new modern shopping mall to be built in Kwara State will be similar to The Palms Shopping Centre in Lagos.

"We are working closely in partnership with the company that built The Palms and companies like Shoprite have [also] expressed their intention to be part of it,” says Fela Ibidapo, Special Assistant on investment to the Kwara State Governor.

The proposed land area for the mall is around three hectares and is located in the state capital Ilorin.

A memorandum of understanding for the project has been signed and the Kwara State Government will be part owners of the project with a stake of around 30%

"The mall is going to be fully managed by a management company. We are the government and we stick to what we know best. We will allow the private sector to run and manage the mall as efficiently as possible," Ibidapo said.

"This is going to bring a lot of commercial activities where people will go to on weekends instead of going down to Lagos to get the same stuff," he added.

According to Ibidapo, the reason why Kwara State was chosen as a location for the mall is because of the state's stable power supply which is already at between 17 and 18 hours a day.