Dar es Salaam City Council (DCC) is collecting views of market traders to avoid past mistakes before embarking on the construction of two modern markets both in Ilala district.
The multi-storeyed markets to be built at Ilala and Mchikichini will double the number of traders' intake to address the congestion challenge facing the out-dated city markets.
The DCC Director, Mr Jomaary Satura, told 'Daily News' yesterday that the exercise of collecting traders' views is conducted by the city itself and a project consultant who task to supervise the construction of the markets.
"We are listening to traders' advice to address the challenges encountered at Kisutu and Magomeni markets, especially why customers and traders shunning climbing stairs to over second floor," Mr Satura said.
The city has set aside some 22bn/- for the construction of five markets in Ilala, starting with Mchikichini, then, Ilala, Gogolamboto, Chanika and Buguruni starting this fiscal year.
The Mchikichini market is projected to be constructed in 12 months after completion of all procedures.
The consultancy will visit other markets like Kisutu and Magomeni to collect opinions while analysing the markets' infrastructures that will propel the construction of better structures for the new markets.
"We have instructed the consultant to prepare the architectural drawings that address the traders' opinions based on the views," Mr Satura said.
The commissioning of the traders' views collection came after the city fathers saw some spaces of the two modern markets built recently at huge costs are left unused and traders continue to do business on pedestrian walkways.
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The city has no choice than to build multi-storey structures to address the urbanisation challenge facing Dar es Salaam City.
"The issue of building vertical markets is inevitable because the population is increasing but the land is fixed..., the option is to go up.
"But we want to identify these obstacles to build a better Dar city given the limited space we have," the city Director said.
The Mchikichini market is a prime area, therefore there is no way that people will stop using the market even if it multi-storey as long as they are provided with easy infrastructure to go up, he said.
The DCC Business Officer, Mr Nickas Msemwa, the new Mchikichini market will accommodate over 5000 traders from the current 2500.
"The Mchikichini and Ilala new markets will be four storeys each," Mr Msemwa said.
Additionally, the Ilala market will accommodate more than eleven thousand traders from currently 5500 traders.
Dar is home to the country's major finance, administration and industries, thus making it the country's richest region.
According to the 2022 census, Dar has a total population of 5,383,728 and the national census of 2012 had 4,364,541.
