The socio-economic challenges facing Liberia, in particular, the George Weah led three months old government are so numerous such that the Government is struggling seriously to address them. From refuse dumps overflowing with garbage across the city to ever rising prices of basic commodities, struggling health sector with no drugs and equipment, bad roads and precarious security situation, the population continues to be weighed down by harsh and unbearable living conditions.
Such is the situation that people have resorted to all sorts of means to irk out a living. One such situation that has caught the attention of the Eagle Eye Newsmagazine is the droves of street sellers. these sellers are no longer restricted to the Waterside Area of Mechlin Street in down town Monrovia, but have engulfed the very Ministry of Finance and Development Planning that is suppose to be responsible for crafting those policies that should lift the people out of poverty.
While we recognise that these problems are complex, challenging and will not be easily tackled especially considering the dire financial state of the country’s treasury, we are of the view that it is about time Liberians in general and, in particular, the Central Government begins the development of policies that will address the root causes of the issues driving these families into the street to sell. This process should start in the form of asking soul searching questions. For examples, (1) why are these sellers, particularly young ones of school-going age in the street selling? (2) What is the Liberia Marketing Association doing to build respectable selling stalls and places in light of the daily fees the sellers pay? (3) What can the Ministry of Education do to help those sellers of school going age? (4) What can Labor Ministry do to assist parents whose children are selling to help their parents feed the family? and (5) What can Ministry of Finance do to empower Liberian own businesses such that they can compete while employing students as customer service officers as in the developed world? Etc.
It is time to put on our thinking cap as a people to help the people selling in the streets, not only because it will remove the eye sore that has defaced the city, but will prove to others that we are people after all with brains like other people.
Very interesting!
We need to help our country regain its pride.