Cameroon:Ultra-Modern Buea Town market near completion.

By Christopher Ambe ShuFor decades, Buea, the regional capital of the Southwest, has not had befitting market structures, but one, which is under construction by Buea Council -estimated to cost hundreds of millions of fcfa, will soon go operational, The Recorder has been told by council officials.

“ People will start occupying the stalls on December 7.But the official  inauguration of the market proper will be early  next year”,Mofa Lyonga,the market project supervisor told The Recorder, after he and  Buea Mayor, Charles Mbella Moki ,did an inspection of the construction works,on Tuesday.

The market has hundreds of stalls, shades and open spaces for sale of food stuff. The market is being constructed with funds secured from FEICOM and Buea stakeholders. The construction is in two phases and will cost close to one billion francs by the time is completely done, Mofa Lyonga said.


Modern Buea Town  Market,near completion



Many people say Mbella Moki is a lucky man, who will be remembered as the mayor that gave Buea a modern market facility. But he thinks otherwise. “It is not a matter of luck. It takes hard work to have such a structure in Buea,” the second-term mayor said in a chat with The Recorder.

Many residents of Buea-both nationals and foreigners are hailing the mayor for this infrastructural development. “After the inauguration of this market, we the Nigerians here need to give you a big title”, said one Nigerian trader, who has lived in Buea for over 50 years. “You have heard the cry of your people and have acted accordingly”

What used to serve as the Buea Town Market for decades was generally described as an eyesore, forcing the public to question the sense of development of past mayors of the town, which had been capital of German Kamerun, British Southern Cameroon and West Cameroon.

 NB: First published in The RECORDER newspaper, Cameroon,of  2nd  December 2010