Mbuji-Mayi is the most populated city in the DRC after Kinshasa and Lubumbashi. It is home to the largest market in the region, the Bakwa Dianga market, which welcomes more than 300,000 visitors a day. This market has been for some time at the heart of the concerns of the city and traders. Indeed, since last February, the provincial government has launched an initiative to renovate and modernize the market. The works include the demolition and reconstruction of the stands, the creation of a car park, as well as the development of the gutters and cobblestones. But vendors at the Bakwa Dianga market fear the operation will deprive them of their selling spaces and expose them to additional taxes.
This Monday, June 05, 2023, the sellers of the Bakwa Dianga market suspended their commercial activities to denounce the arrest of one of their colleagues accused of defamation. The demonstrators accuse the provincial governor of having ordered this arrest to intimidate traders who oppose his plan to modernize the market. Governor Patrick Mathias Kabeya Matshi Abidi denied any involvement in this arrest which, according to him, would be justified by a complaint lodged by a member of the market commission claiming to be the victim of harmful charges by the detained trader. He accuses him of having accused the plaintiff of embezzling the funds allocated to the victims of the fire which ravaged part of the market last January.
This suspension of commercial activities risks accentuating the economic crisis that the city of Mbuji-Mayi has been going through for several years. Indeed, the city, which has long been considered the economic center of the country, has lost its dynamism following the various armed conflicts that have taken place in the region. Entrepreneurs complain about the difficulty of obtaining financing and accessing bank loans, and foreign investors are reluctant to come to this area which is still plagued by insecurity.
The modernization of the market is therefore an initiative that could revive the economy of the city and the region. However, the provincial government will have to find a compromise with the sellers of the Bakwa Dianga market so that the work takes place under the best conditions. The suspension of the commercial activities of the sellers risks blocking the project, which is nevertheless urgent for the city.
In conclusion, the modernization of the Bakwa Dianga market is an important project for the revival of the economy of the city of Mbuji-Mayi. However, the provincial government should involve market vendors to avoid conflicts that could stall the project. Beyond this situation, it is important to note that the city of Mbuji-Mayi requires a significant investment in terms of security and economic development to regain its place as the economic center of the country.