$1.2B budgeted to complete, rehabilitate community markets

Senior Minister within the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh on Monday revealed that some $1.2 billion has been budgeted to aid in the completion and rehabilitation of several community markets across the country.

The minister was at the time making his 2024 budget presentation at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

According to Dr Singh, work on five of those markets started in 2023 which saw the government spending $417 million to rehabilitate them. However, due to major rehabilitation works being done, additional money is required.

These include the Charity market in Region Tw0 and the Hydronie and Leonora markets in Region Three.

“In 2024, a sum of $1.2 billion is budgeted to complete these markets and rehabilitate Corriverton, Kumaka, and Suddie Markets,” Minister Singh disclosed.

In July a huge section of the Charity market was gutted by fire, leaving some of the vendors displaced. However, due to the government’s immediate intervention, the market started to rebuild at a cost of $ 286 million.

Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of the other markets came as a result of the government wanting to better the selling environment of its vendors.