By Asan Bah
Foroyaa recently visited Brikama market in the West Coast Region of the Gambia and saw scores of customers and vendors buying and selling food items in flood waters.
Some vendors and customers spoke to Foroyaa and said the Brikama market has been in this condition for ages. They also disclosed that the authorities continue to give them vague promises, but the situation of the market continues to remain the same.
Lamin Singhateh, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) and Clerk of the Brikama Area Council (BAC), told this medium of his Council’s plans to address the current conditions of the Brikama market.
According to Mr. Singhateh, BAC is aware of the plight of vendors and the public concerns regarding the market, adding that it is their mandate to provide support to alleviate the suffering of the public particularly at the market.
He, however, said that they are constrained with resources, but added that Council has agreed to allocate a special budget for the Brikama market to remedy the current situation.
“We are planning to formulate the 2025 budget, and there will be a special budget allocation to provide some necessary facilities for the market to at least remedy the current situation. By 2025, we want to do a proper drainage facility in the market and its surrounding, because lack of drainage is the root cause of the problem within the market,” he said.
Singhateh also said that despite it is their mandate to ensure that vendors and customers have a proper market to do their trade, they still have limitations, but said they cannot shy away from their responsibilities.
“We call on the central government and donor partners to collaborate with the council because this is a national development which no single institution can do alone. We are therefore open to collaborate with any partner,’’ Singhateh said. He called for tax compliance from the residents of the council, which he said, is a tax driven entity, adding that the more revenue they have, the more development they can embark on.
