…says markets are catalysts for economic growth, development
Hon. (Princess) Benedicta Attoh, Chairman, Etsako East Local Government Council, has laid the foundation stone for lockup shops in the Agenebode main market as a way to boost economic and trading activities in the local government area.
The chairman noted that farmers will need a storage point to gather their locally produced farm products for wholesale rather than moving them home on a daily basis.
According to Hon. Attoh, “For steady economic growth and development, the government must implement appropriate policies that can sustain the expected growth, and one of such policies that we have made as a council is our market, which plays an important role in economic development.”
Hon. Attoh, who spoke at the local government headquarters, said, “We are here today to lay the foundation stone for a block of lockup shops in the Agenebode Market. It’s a new project the council is embarking on for the benefit of the people. Traders in this market spend a lot of money every day transporting their goods to the market and taking the leftovers back home. These lock-up shops are to address the need and request of traders and to also reassure them that a modern Agenebode MMarket is possible.”
In her words, “Etsako East Local Government has taken the issue of market establishment very seriously because it serves as an economic catalyst for development and growth. As a woman, I understand the role of the market as an economic booster, which is why, as soon as I resumed office as Chairman of the Council, I immediately reopened the Okpekpe Main Market, which had been closed for years, and foreigners have recently begun to patronise the Okpekpe Market for food. Today, the market has become a rallying point and a source of revenue for the council, as well as a job creation opportunity for the unemployed.”
She maintained that the power of the market cannot be underestimated as a rallying point for both the rich and the poor, noting, “Our deliberate action of rebranding Etsako East markets across various communities and over all other closed markets is intended to stimulate economic activity, and we will do the same in other communities.
“We are not operating a concentric government where development is concentrated at the centre alone. As a council, we want to explore the possibility of impacting every community with our limited resources”.
Some of the traders and community leaders who spoke during the brief programme thanked the Executive Chairman for engaging in projects that have direct impact on the lives of the people. They also appreciated her for her concern in looking into the internal vehicular transportation service within the local government headquarters.
