By Chisomo Kambandanga

NKhata Bay, May 16, Mana: In the outskirts of Nkhata Bay town, about 10 kilometres from the beautiful scenery of Lake Malawi, lies a busy trading centre called Mpamba.

Wedged between several beautiful hills, including the famous Kandoli Mountains, Mpamba enjoys a cool breeze that wheezes down from the thick surrounding forests.

A few miles away are stretches of Kaning'ina and Kandoli forests which further influence the weather conditions for the place and that of neighbouring area like Chikwina, Thanula, Kangoyi and Mzenga.

With such usually-rainy weather conditions that go all year round, these areas have turned into a production hub for bananas, maize, cassava and mangoes which find their way to Mpamba for better market.

“Here, everyday day is a busy day. Many people come here on daily basis, seeking to buy produce especially bananas, maize and cassava,” says Naomi Jere, a banana supplier.

She says Mpamba has become a busy trading area and attracts traders from as far as Lilongwe and Mzimba and those from nearby places like Mzuzu and Nkhata Bay town.

“Our biggest challenge was that we did not have proper market sheds, being an area that receives rains almost throughout the year. So doing business on the open was not easy,” she says.

Nkhata Bay District Council authorities also noticed this gap that existed and planned to construct modern market sheds to help boost business activities at the district’s most famous trading centre.

Nkhata Bay Director of Planning and Development Edgar Chihana says Mpamba deserves modern market sheds because it is fast growing into a very important trading area, supplying produce far and wide.

“As a council, we noted the potential that Mpamba has in terms of trading activities and decided to quickly move in and construct better market sheds.

“I’m happy to report that all what we wanted has been achieved. Vendors are doing business all seasons and revenue collection for the council has been simplified. This is driving to the growth of this agro-based community besides improving the service delivery of the council,” he said.

In random interviews, market users expressed satisfaction with the facility which was ofificiary handed over to the community in September 2023.

Martha Banda, a 45-year-old tomato vendor, praises the structures for their quality and the convenience they offer to both sellers and buyers.

She said: “I ventured into tomato business a decade ago. It was not easy considering that I was conducting my business on an open space and that meant braving rains almost on daily basis.”

She said that such situations nearly forced her to quit the business.

“When my husband died, his relatives grabbed all the property we had so I had no choice but to proceed with the business that I use to take care of my children despite the challenges that were there due to the absence of market sheds,” she says.

Until the opening of the new market structure, Banda has seen her business blossom.

“I am able to provide for my family with ease. I’m paying school fees for my children and I have secured a plot.

“I plan to build a good house before end this year,” she said.

Not only that, Banda has also managed to buy two goats and two pigs, toping up on the chicken farming that her late husband introduced to her.

“The new market shed is providing an environment suitable for all weather conditions. I continue making sells even during rain. On a good day I make up to K40,000 in profits,” she said. 

On his part, 40-year-old beans and fish seller Thomas Phiri said the new market sheds are an encouragement to him, as he has gained more customers for being stationed at one place.

"The coming in of these market sheds has helped me to gain more trust from my customers, as I am always found at one place. Everyday I receive new customers and that is an encouragement to me to keep on diversifying what I sell to keep on realizing more profits," Phiri said.

Chairperson for Mpamba market, Soko Banda, says he is overwhelmed with the messages he usually gets from the buyers and sellers at the market which all show satisfaction. 

“We are excited to have this market and we will appreciate even more if the council can construct a fence and a car park,” he said.

Acting Director of Trade and Commerce at Nkhata Bay District Council, Thanila Gondwe, said they are pleased to see traders utilising the market with happy faces.

 “Already, we can see the fruits of this project. Mpamba Market has boosted revenue collection as it becomes easy for ticket sellers to do their work. On a good market day, we are able to collect K50,000 on average, which was not the case before,” Gondwe said.

Mpamba market sheds have a capacity of 120 vendors with good spacing, allowing people to pass each other without problems.

It is a twin of Chintcheche Market under Senior Chief Malanda, which is also rendering hope and survival to the buyers and sellers from southern part of the district and those from Dwangwa, Nkhotakota and Salima.

In his remarks, spokesperson for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Patrick Botha, said construction of markets like Mpamba is in line with MW 22063.

"So when we talk of MW2063 we are talking of three key pillars, namely Agriculture Commercialization, Industrialization and Urbanization. When you look at the three, you will see that provision of a modern market plays a very crucial role in terms of access to market but also urbanisation as you know the coming of the market also brings about other components and complementary amenities.

"The availability of a market will also make producers produce more quality products in order to be competitive," Botha said.

 Nkhata Bay District Commissioner Rodgers Newa assures vendors that the council will keep lobbying for funding for more market sheds at Mpamba.

“As a council we need to take care of all communities in the district. Mpamba is a big community. Much as we have provided them with these two sheds, that’s not enough. The future plan is to increase the number of sheds to almost six and to properly accommodate the vendors.

We will keep on lobbying for more funding so that we can keep on responding to the needs of the people,” Newa said.

Funded through Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project to the tune of K60 million with support from Multi-Donor Trust Fund and World Bank, the market is expected promote trade and create wealth in line with the 2063 vision.