By Emmanuel Mondaye
A 25 member taskforce drawn from the Petty Traders Association of Liberia has been set up to coordinate activities of petty traders in the country.
The Media Relations Officer for the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) made the disclosure on 30 October in an exclusive interview with The New Dawn in Monrovia.
He says the MCC and the Petty Traders Association of Liberia signed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in which it was agreed that the taskforce would handle all related matters involving petty traders.
According to him, the decision reached between both the MCC and the PTA leadership is aimed easing tension that usually erupts between members of the Petty Traders and City Police in enforcing city ordinance.
Under the MOU, both parties agreed that each petty trader pays a monthly waste management fee of US$20 to the MCC to enhance removal of garbage from the streets of Monrovia.
The MCC recently trained over 25 taskforce members of the Federation of Petty Traders and Informal Workers’ Union of Liberia or FEPTIWUL.
The training amongst others focused on city ordinance, basic report writing and professionalism.
Addressing a news conference in Monrovia, MCC details that the training is the city government’s way of working in line with a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Monrovia City Corporation and the Federation of Petty Traders and Informal Workers’ Union of Liberia, committing to capacity building of taskforce members recruited by the FEPTIWUL to enforce regulations on street selling.
The City Corporation indicates the taskforce will also work collectively with the Monrovia City Police to ensure petty traders are restricted to certain areas in the city to carry on their businesses, noting that this is the first time in the country for a city government to form a joint taskforce with petty traders’ union to help promote a safe and healthy environment for all. Editing by Jonathan Browne
