President Julius Maada Bio
Abubakar Hashim
The Sewa Ground market, named after the popular Sewa river, that originates at the border of Guinea in the north, and terminates at the estuary of the Sherbro river in the south, is strategically located in the central business district, a walking distance to all financial institutions, business entities, corporate bluechip companies, and a stone’s throw to the State House, where President Bio works and receives foreign dignitaries.
The construction work is fraught with a heap of controversies, to the extent that it became a distaste and an eyesore to people’s anxiety and expectations.
It is now a reality, credit to Arc Abel Onomake, CEO, Ideas Limited, an architectural guru and a development consultant to NASSIT.
NASSIT’s pre- commissioning tour of its standard Sewa Grounds Market.
Sewa market is bankrolled by the country’s social security entity, known as NASSIT. It is conceived as an investment portfolio, that has the expected potential to blossom into a profit-making and empowerment arena for the country, particularly for women, who constitute over 51% of the population and currently litter the streets of the capital, Freetown, hawking assorted items.
NASSIT Project Manager, Arc Abel Onomake
Why Sewa Market is Crucial to the Economy
Sewa market meets the minimum standard requirements prescribed by the World Trade Centre WTO.
It has paved grounds all round, with over 200,000 portable water tanks.
It has a functional and equipped clinic, a crèche, ie a day school for children.
It also boasts of a duty Police post, 24/7, with numerous CCTV cameras monitored in a central control room.
The facilities management company, with the city council, will manage the market, with oversight by NASSIT officials
It has 1,700 open market stalls, 277 medium scale lock up shops, 170 upscale lockup shops, 85 warehouses, 160 toilets, with daily standby cleaners, several hydrants for fire fighting, with an expected patronage by over 7,000 customers daily.
A standby 350 KVA generator, for EDSA power outages.
NASSIT DG Fouad Dabor
No doubt, the market is crucial to the economy as it will boost trade in all assorted commodities.
It will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for many youths
It will ease the flow of traffic in the congested streets of Freetown
It will eventually turn around the economy
A big relief to the government, people and even foreign nationals resident in Sierra Leone