The current business landscape in Sierra Leone has been seriously affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which is also undermining the rapid growth of the tourism sector. On Monday 17th August 2020 the Minister of Tourism, Madam Memunatu Pratt, confirmed on radio that the tourism sector will recover its full potential by 2022 with the support of government and partners. In an interview with the harbour master at King Jimmy wharf, Abubakarr Sesay, he said there is a local tourist centred business place known as ‘Luma Business Market’ at the King Jimmy harbour.
The Luma business market normally operates three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Abubakarr said they normally get goods from business people from Lungi who transport their goods to and from King Jimmy wharf via local boats, and market their goods wholesale to over 1,000 business people across Freetown. The harbourmaster said the harbour is one of the historical monuments that Sierra Leone can use to tell her history that occurred during the era of slavery and the Slave Trade. He said it is the oldest harbour market still in use for the exchange of goods and services in the Freetown municipality.
Talking to the harbour master’s team member Abdul Sahid Kamara, son of Chief Pa Alimammy Athamoroko Kamara of the Kroo Bay Community, he said though they are faced with lots of challenges, he wants to talk on the most challenging issues affecting them in his community. He said lack of stores is a huge constraint as business people coming with goods from Lungi normally face challenges with leftover goods after Luma business hours. “It is not cost friendly for the sellers who have to pay extra money to return with their leftover goods. They sometime get into losses as most of the perishable goods perish. That affects them businesswise – in losing their profit.”
Another challenge, he noted, is that lack of proper marketplace leads to unsafe business, “because when it rains, both buyers and sellers normally get wet and goods perish and that is not good for business”. Kamara said lack of proper hygiene both at personal and general levels at the Luma’s surrounding is very serious, “as it put all of us at high risk, be it sellers from Lungi or the over one thousand plus customers that normally come for business or those of us that stay at the King Jimmy Wharf area”.
Harbour master Abubakarr Sesay said these challenges result from lack of support and negligence on the side of the various authorities that are supposed to manage and maintain affairs at the wharf, the Luma and the whole harbour, especially the Freetown City Council (FCC) – the administrator of the Freetown principality. He said the FCC is in charge of the wharf and Luma business market and normally collects huge proceeds during the Luma business market days, adding the council has stopped the support it was giving to them for the past six years now.
“The Luma business market is now unhygienic because FCC stopped supporting and giving us learning apparatuses and material supplies to continue our usual joint scheduled clearing exercise.” He said lack of a jetty is also a very serious problem. “The jetty is one of the most important facilities in any harbour. It prevents boats, crew members, passengers and goods from accidents due to heavy rainfall, storms and wind, and gives safe and direct access to the port.”
He listed lack of communication tools and support for his team members to respond or communicate with the right authorities in case of accidents or disasters including the FCC, Sierra Leone Navy, Maritime authority, etc and the lack of toilet facilities which leads people to use anywhere possible to ease themselves and throw faeces where they please as other constraints they have to deal with. “I do work with my team members to stop people from such acts but it is very difficult without the support of the various authorities.”
He pleaded with the government, FCC, Maritime, the Navy and other authorities to come to their aid to help rebuild and do maintenance and clearing of the De Ruyter Stone, the Slave Steps at King Jimmy harbour, and the Slave Cave under the NASSIT building back of Government Wharf. Abubakarr said before COVID-19, boats normally took from thirty five to forty passengers but due to the pandemic, “now we ensure that boats follow all preventive measures and now take fifteen to twenty passengers. Despite, we don’t get any corona support or support materials including soap, buckets, sanitizer, but we did buy those basic support for ourselves to keep ourselves safe from the coronavirus and also prevent the over one thousand plus people that do come here for business during Luma”.
De Ruyter Stone has been confirmed as Freetown’s oldest monument situated at the King Jimmy wharf (Luma business market). It was covered by silt and rediscovered around 1923 when a concrete drain-off was being built to direct the waters of King Jimmy, also known as Peter’s Brook, besides the destroyed market building. In 1923, the stone was reburied as protection against vandalism and weathering after its inspection. Around 1663-1664, during the Anglo-Dutch War, the famous Dutch Admiral De Ruyter cruised to Sierra Leone with his aim of destroying the British settlement, but eventually failed and sacked Bunce Island and Tasso Island.
Adama Conteh, chairlady at the King Jimmy wharf, confirmed that the Gullah Redemption Foundation was there to help restore the De Ruyter Stone and other monuments. “But the whole place has been covered by dirt and rubbish and tourists were coming from all around the world to take pictures and get information about it. But all of that has stopped as most cannot access it now and the place is not hygienic.”
By Mohamed Samba Kamara