By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Anyway, we look at it, the Freetown City Council (not the central government or the Ministry of Trade) has an obligation to provide street traders within the city CBD with officially designated demarcated market spaces. The Calabash is putting forward this argument on the premise that 24-7,365 Days, FCC collects market dues from them. Now we all know that once you pay taxes to the central Government or the local Government, they are obligated to in return provide you with basic social services and amenities.
Providing traders generally with quality infrastructure is critical to them fully participating in economic growth and development because they perform a very important distributive role as middle men and women taking goods from shops to consumers and foods from farms and gardens to markets.
Our argument furthers that FCC cannot continue to collect market dues from street traders without providing them with decent markets. To be honest, it is deplorable when we look at the condition of all the markets in the city. They lack the basic amenities that they are supposed to have. In which regard, among the FCC’s short, medium and long term urban planning project is beautifying the CBD to reduce traffic congestion – the main cause of it being street trading.
The FCC plan to improve markets in the city includes construction of new markets and refurbishing of existing ones. Each market needs to be provided with adequate storage, cold room, water, electricity, toilets and showers, waste management, parking space and space for under-5 childcare.
Furthermore, within the context of the Transform Freetown Initiative, the overall aim is to address the city’s socioeconomic challenges and environmental vulnerabilities. No doubt, the issue of making provision for CBD street traders should be prioritized.
A cue could be taken from London. In London you have the famous Camden Locks, Covent Garden, Brick Lane, Greenwich markets which are interconnected retail space where vendors sell everything from food to art and furniture. They attract hundreds of thousands of visitors weekly. Similar facilities can be provided by FCC for street traders on a small scale.
Whatever solution is used by FCC, our submission is that our street traders who are also breadwinners and essential cogs in the economic machinery deserve to be provided with retail spaces by FCC.
