Freetown Big Market Re-opened By President Kabbah
By Yusuf Alghali

10th February 2004 - The one hundred and forty three-year old Wallace Johnson Street Market, commonly referred to as "Freetown Big Market", was among the most notable historic edifices in the Freetown capital that was gutted by fire after rebel arsonists stormed the city centre on Thursday January 7th 1999.

The new Big Market, recently rehabilitated and expanded through funds provided by the Government of Sierra Leone through the National Commission for Social Action (NaCSA), was today formally handed over to the Freetown City Council following President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah's official commissioning of the Le. 454m. two-storied building.

In his statements, President Kabbah expressed his government's commitment in restoring and maintaining such important national relics as the Freetown Big Market and the old Fourah College buildings both in Freetown and Mabang, for posterity to be continuously reminded of their historic significance.

While encouraging traders to cooperate fully with law enforcers in the municipality, the President also urged them to avoid confrontation and calm tempers down. "Let not the angry emotions of the war years overcome our traditionally peaceful nature," he said, adding that Sierra Leoneans had long been reputed to be a friendly, hospitable and peaceful people.

NaCSA commissioner Mr. Kanja Sesay, in his brief remarks, noted that the rebuilding of Big Market was part of government's post war poverty alleviation and national recovery strategy aimed at improving marketing conditions for some three hundred traders thereby reducing street trading and other street trading-related hazards.

He indicated that NaCSA provided some 83% of the entire reconstruction cost with significant inputs from the Freetown City Council, the Sierra Grass-roots Agency (SIGA) - a local non-governmental organisation and petty traders themselves.

Assuring traders about government's determination to address the plight of traders in want of additional market space, Trade and Industry Minister Dr. Kadi Sesay revealed plans to erect three new multi purpose markets to service the Freetown Municipality. She appealed to traders to be a little patient as sites and building contractors had already been identified for that project.

The old Big Market had housed thousands of traders dealing in divers products used for traditional, cultural and medicinal purposes for several generations. Trading in hardware items such as timber, wooden doors, building materials and other odd items was however introduced much later.

According to unofficial sources, Big Market traders lost millions of Leones worth of goods in the blaze that destroyed the old structure and traders had meanwhile been temporarily housed at the disused Parcel Post Department just across the road and in other makeshift stalls within the vicinity.

-End-