PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has demanded strict compliance with safety regulations and ensuring that products sold in the rebuilt Kariakoo business complex market meet required standards, for international buyers to frequent the facility.

Speaking at the inauguration of the 28bn/- rebuilt eight-storey facility yesterday, nearly five years after a devastating fire gutted the pivotal facility in city’s commercial hub, the president insisted on observing fairness in the allocation of trading frames. 

Traders who operated in the market before the 2021 fire must be reinstated through an open and transparent process, she said. “I do not want to hear that senior leaders in Dar es Salaam are hoarding trading spaces and renting them out,” she cautioned, underlining that traders outside the market must also be allocated available spaces fairly.

Officials said the redevelopment is expected to modernize operations and enhance the business environment, while the president explicitly called for training on fire safety, the establishment of a digital database of all traders, and the use of electronic systems for revenue collection.

Loading and offloading of goods will be restricted to designated times, with parking space created for motorcycle taxis operating around the market, while modern logistics services, including international freight forwarding agents, will take up office space to facilitate cross-border trade.

Prime Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba said in his remarks that the rebuilt complex incorporates advanced ICT systems, fire-prevention measures, reliable electricity, ventilation systems and standby generators. 

Reflecting on current progress since the revamped executive and legislature took office, he said the government has fulfilled key electoral commitments, including the employment of 7,000 teachers and deployment of 5,000 health workers.

Prof. Riziki Shemdoe, the Regional Administration and Local Governments state minister in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), explained that the reconstruction follows the July 2021 fire, which destroyed the original facility. 

He described Kariakoo as a major regional commercial hub, highlighting the government’s efforts to reopen all surrounding roads to enhance security and facilitate 24-hour operations.

Albert Chalamila, the regional commissioner, said the complex’s reopening symbolizes the revival of small, medium and large businesses in the city as the facility has a capacity to accommodate 1,500 traders.

Ashraf Abdukarim, the KMC general manager, highlighted that the underground parking can host over 200 vehicles at any one moment.