The construction of ultra-modern Munyaule Market in Lusaka, at a cost of $8 million, has commenced, much to the delight of more than 2,000 marketeers who will occupy the facility once completed.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Hon Gary Nkombo, MP, has since announced that traders, recently relocated from the same market to pave way for construction, have been given offer letters to operate at the new market once completed.
Munyaule Market was located along Lumumba Road, adjacent to City Market, and once construction is completed, it will offer a conducive trading area like the newly built Simon Mwewa Market.
Hon Nkombo expressed happiness to note that the contractor, Kaddoura Construction Limited, a privately-owned company, has moved on site to start construction process of the new market, whose construction period is estimated to be 16 months.
Speaking when he inspected the construction site, Hon Nkombo said the project follows a resolution in which a 15-year lease agreement was entered into between Lusaka City Council and the contractor to construct the modern Market.
Once the project is completed, Hon Nkombo said it will create a more conducive and trading environment for traders and shoppers than what existed before.
He said the Government had made it a priority to modernize markets in order to provide safe and healthy facilities for the traders to operate.
“We are happy that once this project is completed, it will provide an orderly manner of doing business to traders who used to occupy this facility,” he said.
In order to accommodate the relocated traders from Munyaule Market, LCC secured trading space behind BH and New Soweto Markets as a temporal measure as the same traders await completion of modern Munyaule Market.
The Minister also toured the temporal trading site where the traders were relocated, and he pledged to personally donate some paints to beautify the Stands that the traders are occupying.
Hon Nkombo directed LCC to immediately secure some space within the temporal trading area to put up more toilets and water points to provide a conducive environment for the traders.
Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the relocated traders from Munyaule Market, Mr. Foster Chibwe informed Hon Nkombo that all the traders are looking forward to completion of the modern market.
Mr. Chibwe said the traders are in support of the Governments bold decision to modernise Munyaule market and provide safe and conducive facilities to avert outbreak of waterborne diseases in future.
GOVERNMENT CONSTRUCTING MORE MODERN MARKETS LUSAKA
