President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday commissioned Busia Main Market in Busia Town, the third ultra-modern market in Uganda, after Tororo and Soroti markets which were opened last month.
The construction of the Shs25.4 billion market was funded by the African Development Bank as part of the Markets and Agricultural Trade Improvement Program phase II (MATIP-2), in line with the government’s effort to boost trade in the border district.
During the commissioning, State Minister for Labour Jenifer Namuyangu said the market which will employ 2,400 vendors has 1,261 facilities including stalls, lockups, pitches, cooking lockups, restaurants, fish marketing zone, fresh fish stalls with ice boxes, bulk fresh fishing auctioning center, banking facilities, daycare center, butchery, clinic, chicken cages, chicken preparation area and a main hall.
Commissioned a value addition facility and a central market in Busia.
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) December 1, 2020
These two facilities will contribute to poverty reduction and economic growth within #Busia and the region through enhanced marketing of agricultural produce and other merchandise.#SecuringYourFuture pic.twitter.com/DqnmxfF636
In addition, the market comprises value-addition facilities such as storage for pre and post-cleaning/grading, sorting and de-stoning, high-level processing of maize and animal and poultry feeds.
While commissioning the market, the President said the value addition facility will help in milling of maize into posho as well as making chicken feeds which have in the past been coming from Kenya yet the maize is grown locally.
President Museveni urged the vendors to ensure they keep the facility clean.
"The market is constructed with a concrete floor to ensure it has no dust and mud and is easy to clean," Museveni said.
The market that was constructed by Chinese contractors Zhonghao- Zhongeng Joint Venture is fitted with both fire-fighting and solar systems.
The value addition facility has a 1000tonne pre-cleaning drying and storage complex, 80-tonne weighbridge, maize milling plant and centralized feed milling and pellet making plant with a boiler room among others.
While commissioning the market, the president noted that it would boost trade within the region and improve working conditions for the business community.
“These two facilities will contribute to poverty reduction and economic growth within Busia and the region through enhanced marketing of agricultural produce and other merchandise,” he said.
“The central market will also create additional working space, improved working conditions and create opportunities for people to generate and/or raise their incomes.”
