IMC channels a proposal to establish Board of Directors for Magogoni fish market

THE Ilala Municipal Council (IMC) has sent a proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office with a view to enact a bylaw that would enable the establishment of the governing Board of Directors of the Magogoni International fish market in Dar es Salaam, the Guardian has been informed. Speaking in an exclusive interview on Thursday last week, the municipal legal officer Msimu Mashauri said that, the PM office will look at the proposal and after having approved it will be taken to the government printer and later be published in government gazette. He said the market which is currently being managed by the Ilala municipal council has been in operation over ten years now without having Board of Directors as in accordance to the rules and regulations set an aspect that is shameful for a market like it which has an international status. He said, the formation of the Board of Directors will look at the various development aspects such as work efficiency and look at various challenges facing the market in a daily normal routine. “This is the second time for the Ilala Municipal council to send such a proposal to the central government to allow the formation of the Board of Directors”, he said adding that the first proposal was sent three years ago and was rejected a factor among the reasons behind delays in endorsing regulations necessary for modernisation of the facility. He further noted that, this time around his Municipal council is optimistic that the government will consider their request and work on it urgently so that they might be in a position to enact the bylaws that would help have a unified Board of Directors that would ensure work efficiency for the entire operational activities of such an international fish market in the country. He outlined the major activities to be engaged by the Board of Directors to be formed that includes, data collections of fishermen and fish traders at the market, to ensure comprehensive records of daily revenue collections and have an overall control of the expenditures bearing the fact that the market operates in the jurisdiction of the municipal management. Contacted for comments the official source at the market who spoke on strict condition of anonymity said mid this week that, although the market provides direct and indirect jobs to about 50,000 people with its monthly total revenues rising to about Sh. 40 million, lack of the board of directors and proper management to run the facility efficiently has made it operate below standards. The source has revealed that, the market is among the highly paying revenue entity which was designed to help small scale fishers and a major municipal council's reliance in terms of revenue but he is surprised to see that no development has been made so far to fishermen. The Manager of the fish market Solomon Mushi said that, among the challenges his market is facing includes lack of storage facilities. He said lack of these preservation facilities has demoralized efforts by local fishermen who have devoted effectively on fishing activities, and with lack of storage facilities, their fishing work is absolutely nothing. He is however, appealing to the government to make sure that, they install storage facilities at the market so that fishermen could enjoy and become motivated with their fishing activities as they could be sure of having their fish sold even if are left overnight. Commenting over the matter, the Principal Communication Officer of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries Judith Mhina told this paper early this week in Dar es Salaam that, among the elements the government had insisted when it handed over the market to the municipal council in 2005 was to establish a governing Board of Directors. She noted that, having Board of Directors would help solve all the impending problems facing the entire operational activities of the market. She said the government through the ministry had seen the need of having such an international market in the country and after having put its plans in place, it thereafter contacted the Japanese government to finance the construction who spent billion of shillings by then.