GunjurBiz: Creating a Sunday market in Gunjur

We must create business platforms for our local businesses to have markets supported by their communities, local councils, and the government. As the counsellorship elections has just ended and the winner been elected into office, we congratulate Mr. Momodou Charreh Gibba for winning the trust and confidence of our people. Now is the time to engage him and work together to give Gunjur an operational face lift to create and nurture things that are dear to our hearts, from fisheries to gardening, small business, and youth empowerment. Gunjur deserves better and profitable economic activities that benefit her people.

A proposed Sunday Market Event in Gunjur to promote business locally

We will reach out to Mr. Gibba to discuss about possible collaborations in designing a strategy that will help businesses in Gunjur, most importantly to identify and facilitate the allocation of a proposed “Sunday Market” sellers and buyers can come in contact and conduct business. To do this, we will need the counsellor’s support in the; - Identification and facilitation of a public i.e. (Secondary School). - Allocation of funds in counsel’s budget to support electricity and water supplies during the business activity. - Collect and manage trash. - Collect and manage participation fees i.e. (D50) each. The strategy is to build a foundation that encourages small business owners to be innovative and thrive in their own community by attracting local customers. There would be a need to encourage the business owners to organise themselves and possibly form an “Association of Small Businesses of Gunjur”. To make this a successful undertaking, ASBG will work with business owners in theneighbouring villages like Kartong, Sanyang, Siffoe, and Berending to participate in this weekly/monthly market. There are enormous opportunities and benefits to be derived from this activity from a business and consumer stand points. Businesses such as soup making, poultry and honey farming, food processing and selling, artists and crafts men will all be part of this vibration. Our women gardeners are also going to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this market as people across the country are expected to make it a date to buy their weekly and monthly household consumption at cheaper prices. With this, young people with reasonable capital of as low as D2,000 can invest in fish business, buy their stock when the catch is good, store it at the ice plant, and sell it at the Sunday market. Community outreach shall be at a forefront of this planning. The proposed business association, ASBG, shall have a media branch that will carry out rigorous media campaigns to maximise its publicity using the local radio station (JannehKoto FM), Gunjur Online, and door to door promotions to attract more people to the event. Participants who wish to take part in this event will have to build their own small-movable stalls. They do not have to erect permanent structures at the venue. The smallest businesses like women gardeners can have their produces in containers for bulk buyers. The event can last for about five hours for 5pm till 10pm. The target customers are the families from Gunjur and the environs, motorist that uses the coastal highway, people from Brikama, Serekunda, and Brusubi amongst others. If properly planned and managed, this event would make Gunjur a melting point for business growth. A community that uses its political power, human capital, and resources to support its local businesses, is the community that is worth thriving in this twenty-first century.