Traders at Dowa Turn-Off Market in Traditional Authority Mkukula in Dowa District have commended the district council for constructing market shelters to improve their businesses.
The facility, which has three stand-alone structures, was constructed under the World Bank-funded Governance to Enable Service Delivery (Gesd) project implemented by the National Local Government Finance Committee.
One of the vendors, Emily Kachera, who sells vegetables, said they faced many challenges when selling their merchandise in the open along the roadside of the M1 section.
| Sylvester Kumwenda
She said: “One of the challenges we were facing was lack of infrastructure. For long, we were selling goods in open spaces and near the road, which created many challenges.
“Our commodities were also exposed to dirt and dust from passing vehicles. During the rainy seasons, business was even more difficult as we had to frequently move our commodities to hide in makeshift shelters.”
Another vendor, Yakobe Damiano, who sells fish at the market, said exposing goods to rain and dust meant loss of income due to contamination.
“There were safety concerns because by operating along the road, it meant frequent crossing of the M1 or the Dowa-Boma Road to attend to customers. As you may imagine, accidents frequently occurred,” he said.
For Damiano, this is a major boost as the facility has brought significant improvements in addressing longstanding challenges that vendors used to face.
In his remarks, Dowa Turn-Off Market chairperson Hezekiah Gladwell described the market as one of the fast-growing economic hubs in the district.
“This structure has changed the outlook of our market. Business has improved and many vendors are happy with the development. We encourage traders who have not yet moved into the facility to do so,” he said.
Dowa district commissioner James Kanyangalazi said the facility also means improved revenue for the council, which would also be used for other public investments in the district.
