Ibom Tropicana is a multibillion naira entertainment complex in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria comprising a shopping mall, cinema, hotel, convention center, and theme park. Originally developed in 2015, it was failing until a public-private partnership redeveloped it, adding additional structures to the mall and renovating facilities. Over 1,000 workers have been involved in the near completion of the redevelopment, which aims to generate revenue for investors and the government by opening in December 2019 with over 50 shops and 600 jobs.

1. IBOM TROPICANA
This article entails the establishment of Ibom Tropicana, location, its facilities, components,
services provided, and its capacity.
Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre started in 2015. It is a dynamic leisure and business
resort in the capital of Akwa Ibom, this multibillion naira entertainment centre is designed to
comprise not just a six-screen Cineplex, a five-star hotel, wet and dry park, conference centre,
but also a large shopping mall.
The Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre, which was originally developed in 2015 by the Akwa
Ibom State Government, is being regenerated to become ‘Tropicana Mall’, a center that will
provide a modern one-stop shopping experience offering approximately 8,000m² of retail and
recreation. This project, backed by the Tropicana Mall Development Company Limited, was
completed Q2:2019. It includes Shoprite as its anchor tenant, Silverbird Cinemas which is
currently operational along with other line shops catering for fashion, health, and beauty, food
court, restaurant, cafes as well as specialist retailing and children’s entertainment for the
family.
A modern leisure and business resort in the capital of Akwa Ibom, this multibillion naira
entertainment centre is designed to comprise not just a six-screen Cineplex, a five-star hotel,
wet and dry park, conference centre, but also a large shopping mall.
Modeled after the Sun City of South Africa and the famous Disneyland in USA, the Ibom
Tropicana Entertainment Centre comprises of a 14-storey building with a 250-bedroom five-star
hotel, an ultra modern convention centre with a multi-floor capacity of 5000, a galleria with
cinema, a 10,000 sitting dome as well as and theme park with various dry and wet
rides/attractions.
IBOMTROPICANA comprises of the following facilities:
26’ Ceilings, Central Heating, Dual Sinks, Electric Range, Elevator, Emergency Exit, Fire Alarm,
Fire Place, Home Theater, Hurricane Shutters, Laundry Room, Lawn, Marble Floors, NEXT to
busway, Security, Swimming Pool, Wifi.
Ibom Tropicana was categorised as a white elephant project in a PREMIUM TIMES report in
2018. Its patterns and physical structures are, however, being reworked currently through a
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Akwa Ibom government and the major investor,
Median Infrastructure Company Development Ltd to make it generate expected earnings to the
government and other investors. A massive leisure and business complex which sits atop 168
hectares of land, its construction began in 2008 during the administration of Godswill Akpabio
who said he wanted to use the Ibom Tropicana to turn the oil-rich state into ‘Dubai’. It has a 14-
floor storey building meant for a 258-room five-star hotel, a Cineplex (six cinema halls),

2. shopping mall, 5,000-seat convention centre, and a theme park, comprising wet and dry parks.
But all of these components, except the Cineplex and a lounge near it, were non-functional and
abandoned by the time Mr Akpabio’s tenure ended in 2015.Even the cinema was not bringing
any money into the government coffers, as movie tickets were subsidised by the government
and Silverbird Showtime Ltd, the company which operated it, reportedly did not also make any
returns to the Akwa Ibom government. About 45 persons only, including casual workers, were
employed at the Cineplex and the bar by 2018, which was far less than the 5,000 envisaged for
the centre on its completion. The Akpabio administration had said initially it would cost the
state N33 billion to build the Tropicana, but three people familiar with the project said in 2018
the cost was later reviewed upward to about N120 billion. Mr Akpabio’s successor, Udom
Emmanuel, had said he would rather “lease out” the Ibom Tropicana instead of putting more
money into it. Renovation work was going on at the Ibom Tropicana when a PREMIUM TIMES
reporter visited the complex on Saturday. An additional massive concrete structure has been
added to the shopping mall, tucked behind it.“This is where Market Square is going to be,”
Olumide Akinsanya, the CEO of Median Infrastructure Company Development Ltd, a major
investor in the revamping of the Ibom Tropicana, said of the additional concrete structure,
while showing the reporter around the mall. “There’s no way the mall would have
accommodated an anchor with the way it was,” Mr Akinsanya, an engineer, added. Market
Square, a Nigerian company, is a fast-growing retail chain in the country. It was selected as the
anchor for the mall after Shoprite withdrew their interest. Mr Akinsanya said the fall in the
value of naira in 2016 scared foreign investors away from investing in the mall. “We are locals,
we believe in the economy,” he told PREMIUM TIMES. “We are hopeful that things would
improve.”When Mr. Akinsanya’s company in 2015 moved in for the renovation, several parts of
the roof were leaking, causing rainwater to collect inside the mall. Construction workers have
been working round the clock to fix it and some structural defects, including refurbishing the
elevators, and installation of new electric lines, in order to prepare the mall for its targeted
opening date – December 1.
Ibom Tropicana Mall had less than 5,000sq lettable area but with the remodeling, it is about
9,800sq now, said Mr Akinsanya. Mr Akinsanya said over 1,000 workers and subcontractors
have been involved in the renovation work. “The remodeling is over 90 per cent complete,” he
said. “We have even commenced pre-let activities.”Local businesses in Uyo – like Jossy
furniture, Quenthall Pharmacy, Oliver Tweest Food, Shade Cover, the Choice Mall – have signed
up for some of the 55 shops in the mall, so far. MedPlus, a health and beauty concern with
outlets around Nigeria, is among the national and international retailers that have signed up
too.“Over 60 per cent of prospective tenants have signed up and they are expected to move in
by September 1 and start doing their stocking before the official opening in December,” Mr
Akinsanya said. “This is the cheapest mall in Nigeria in terms of per square metre,” Mr
Akinsanya said. “In Uyo (Tropicana Mall), tenants are charged N5,400 per square metre. In
Owerri, for instance, it is N9,800 per square metre. “In Uyo, the food court is N6,500, while a
similar food court is N18,000 in other malls.”Mr Akinsanya said Ibom Tropicana Mall is the only

3. mall in Nigeria that is indexed in naira, unlike others, which are in dollars.“Akwa Ibom is an
investment destination,” he said, “we are here to add value to what the state government is
doing.”Mr. Akinsanya said the mall would provide jobs for at least 600 people when it is opened
for business. “It will definitely be more than that number when you look at the multiplier
effect,” he added.
CONCLUSION
IBOM TROPICANA purposefully located in a big project comprising a convention center, a mall
and both dry and aqua parts in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State which makes it in the heart of dynamic
business, private and all kinds of lifestyles. A big glass elevation, the welcoming entrance and all
high quality provided services make it a must visit place where comfort and relaxation reside.