By Fatou Sillah
The Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, has called on local government councils to intensify safety and maintenance measures in public markets following a series of recent fire outbreaks across the country.
Speaking in an interview with West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay stressed the need for councils to strictly enforce health and safety protocols to prevent similar incidents in the future. “Councils should really work hard towards ensuring the health and safety protocols in markets,” he said.
He noted that recent fires in the Serekunda, Brikama and Banjul markets highlight serious shortcomings in market maintenance and safety enforcement.
“Markets are supposed to be maintained, but the recent incidents of fire really indicate that they’ve been falling short,” he said.
Describing the fires as devastating, the minister expressed concern for traders who lose their livelihoods as a result of such incidents, stressing that many of these losses are preventable.
“There was one in Sere Kunda recently, there was one in Brikama not long ago, and now Banjul, and this should not happen because if someone works hard to build a business and one night everything is gone, it is painful,” Dr. Ceesay stated.
When asked about the extent of the damage caused by the fires, Dr Ceesay said comprehensive figures were not yet available, citing the largely informal nature of market operations as a major challenge.
“We don’t have the figures yet, and because of the informal nature of our markets and our businesses, sometimes it is difficult to really get these figures. Most people operate in the informal sector, and therefore records are not kept,” he said.
Dr. Ceesay further emphasized that local councils must take a more proactive role in promoting and enforcing health and safety standards within markets.
“Councils need to work harder in promoting health and safety standards in markets because sometimes we ignore things that can lead to a fire outbreak,” he said.