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The Director General of the National Social Security and Insurance Trust (NASSIT), Mohamed Fuad Daboh, has described the newly constructed Sewa Grounds Market in Freetown as a transformative project designed to tackle street trading and improve the capital’s business environment.
Speaking to journalists, Daboh said the facility is a modern, multi-purpose complex built to host thousands of traders and customers daily.
The market, constructed by NASSIT, forms part of efforts to provide safe, hygienic, and organized spaces for commerce, particularly for informal traders previously operating on the streets.
The market features 1,544 open stalls, 170 lockup shops, 277 medium-scale shops, and 76 storage units. Other amenities include sanitary facilities, a borehole and water tanks for reliable supply, a crèche for nursing mothers, and administrative offices, including one for the Freetown City Council to streamline revenue collection.
To guarantee safety, the facility is equipped with fire hydrants, hoses, CCTV surveillance, and a dedicated police post. Parking spaces have also been integrated into the design to ease congestion in the area.
Daboh stressed that the market would not be offered as a handout. Instead, traders will pay for the use of stalls and shops, with management handled by SEMCO, a NASSIT subsidiary.
“The Sewa Grounds Market is not just a building; it is a strategic intervention to modernize trade, reduce street congestion, and create a more organized commercial space in Freetown,” Daboh said.
Construction is nearing completion, and the market is expected to be commissioned soon as part of NASSIT’s broader investment drive in infrastructure that delivers both social and economic benefits.
