By Allieu Sahid Tunkara
CEMMATS GROUP Limited, a local consultancy unit in Sierra Leone, is in partnership with the Freetown City Council set to construct a high scale market facility at the King Jimmy community in Freetown.
Speaking at a day’s workshop last week, the CEMMATS’ Director, Tani Pratt, explained that the construction project was identified by the FCC as a way of removing traders from the streets, adding that his organization was at present conducting a feasibility study of the project site. He said he would submit final reports in December 2014.
“I am very much optimistic about this project and I am sure it will better the lives of the people in the King Jimmy Community”, Pratt said, and promised that the Ebola outbreak would not affect the project.
Mayor Franklyn Bode Gibson said his council was working in close partnership with CEMMATS to ensure a speedy completion of the project. He noted that the proposed market facility would occupy two acres of land and would comprise 200 shops and 1,024 vendor stalls, adding that the completion of the project would take a great number of petty traders off the streets.
He attributed street trading to the high increase in the population of the municipality and unemployment. "The sides of the streets are not meant for petty trading, they are meant to be decorated," he said.
Mayor Gibson said the FCC was poised to change the face of Freetown, adding that “King Jimmy is a historical site, and we will maintain its historical value." He said the project would kick off as soon as the council received the status quo report from CEMMATS.
Legal consultant, Osman Timbo, who spoke on behalf of the Public Private Partnership Unit, said the unit was charged with the responsibility of managing government projects, as well as providing technical and legal support to contracting authorities in pursuance of PPP agreements.
He said the FCC had identified street-trading as a major problem in the municipality to address which he said his unit called for expressions of bid interest, adding that CEMMATS Group Ltd. emerged as the successful bidder.
“Value for money and pubic interest among others, are the principles on which the PPP Unit operates”, he added.
The Chairlady of the King Jimmy Market Association, Neneh Sankoh, praised the efforts of FCC and CEMMATS for coming up with "such a brilliant initiative" which, according to her, would surely improve the lives of traders in the community.
"We will cooperate with the project implementers from start to finish", she assured.
© Politico 11/11/14
