Abstract
The presence of markets in south-east Nigeria is as old as the existence of the first settlers in the region. This stemmed from the fact that agriculture which was termed the primary economic mainstay of the people in the early times generated surpluses. The need to dispose of the surpluses gave rise to the emergence of trade, and then market centres. The presence of markets hitherto resulted in people of diverse cultures settling in the markets cities, in the bid to eke out a living for themselves. This study assesses the place of Markets as a melting pot of culture and socio-economic development in south-east Nigeria, with a view to capturing its contributions to the socio-economic development of the region; and to find out other ways through which the presence of markets can be gainfully employed to further foster the development of the south-east region. Descriptive survey design methodology was used in the study. Structured and validated questionnaire titled “how has the presence of markets contributed to cultural affinity and socio-economic development of south-east Nigeria” was administered to randomly selected traders, small and medium scale business owners, civil and public servants within the study area. The findings of the paper indicate that markets have contributed in the socio-economic development of the south-east region. The paper recommends among other things that the coming together of people of diverse cultures into the region as a result of the presence of markets could be used as an instrument to fostering national integration.