BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
GIZO Market vendors and officials witnessed the opening of two jetties at Gizo market yesterday.
Gizo Market now has three jetties for vendors from surrounding communities to offload their product safely upon arrival at the market.
Speaking during the launching ceremony, Permanent Secretary of Western Provincial Government, Jeffrey Wickham acknowledged the World Bank through Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement Project for the huge contribution towards livelihood of people in Western Province – especially Gizo and surrounding Islands.
He also acknowledged those who took part in the construction of the jetties as well as Gizo CAUSE Project office for supervising the construction work.
“Now boat access to Gizo Market is solved. These three jetties will provide easy access for our market vendors to transport their products to the market.
“It is our turn to look after these important facilities,” Wickham said.
He said there are more projects lining up under the CAUSE project and that is a good news for Gizo residences as well as people of Western province.
Clerk of Gizo Town, Charles Kelly shared similar sentiment saying that the responsibility is on users to take good care of the properties.
He said the completion of the two jetties is an end result of effective mission and vision that is to provide better access for boats to offload products at the market.
Kelly urges users to take ownership of the facilities so that they can provide long term benefits.
“Someone is losing money to help us build these jetties so as a token of appreciation, we must look after these facilities on their behalf and for our own benefits,” he said.
Gizo Market Manager, Moffat Maeta also acknowledged World Bank and CAUSE Project team in Gizo for delivering the much needed facilities for Gizo Market.
He said the two jetties will definitely address market vendors complains of proper access to the marker via sea transport.
“There is no other word that I can say but thank you World Bank, CAUSE Project Gizo team and Western Provincial Government for this very important gift,” Maeta said.
