The eagerly awaited Honiara Central Market extension opened today with a large undercover space and stalls for 100 vendors.
The SBD10 million project was handed over late yesterday afternoon by Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands Rod Hilton, to Honiara Deputy City Mayor Clement Terewauri, who undertook a tour of the extension led by local builder Tropic Group Builders and local designer, Kramer Ausenco.
Deputy Mayor Terewauri said the extension provided a much more comfortable and hygienic space for the nation’s largest market.
“We acknowledge Australia for providing an improved experience for Honiara’s main marketplace, for the public and for vendors earning a vital income for their family,” Terewauri said..
“Our market vendors will be grateful for this expansion to Central Market and they are looking forward to selling their produce undercover and off the ground,” he added.
High Commissioner Hilton said he was impressed by the scale of the extension and its low maintenance features like the polished concrete stalls which would stand the test of time.
“The expanded market is a high quality and easily maintainable space for Honiara City Council and the hundreds of people who support their family’s education and other expenses through market selling.
“This is another locally designed and built project delivered under the Solomon Islands- Australia partnership, working with Honiara City Council. The project generated jobs for 49 Solomon Islanders.”
Hilton also acknowledged the support of vendors who temporarily relocated while construction took place.
“The men and women I spoke to this morning were excited to be selling their produce undercover and off the ground,” Hilton said.
Honiara Market vendor Maureen Sariki said the vendors were speechless about the final extension, as it had been a number one priority for the vendors and expressed their gratitude to the Government and people of Australia for their support.
“We usually sit in the sun and rain to sell our produces, but that will be a thing of the past now that this extension project is complete,” Sariki said.
“We thank Australia for their kind support because through this market, that’s how some of us women meet and support the needs of our families,” she added.
The Solomon Islands-Australia partnership for infrastructure is supporting the construction of new or refurbished markets across six provinces including Central, Guadalcanal, Isabel, Makira, Malaita and Western Province to support social and economic development opportunities for Solomon Islanders around the country.
Located in the heart of Honiara, the Central Market is where the city’s residents get their daily supplies of local fruits and vegetables.
The main market building, opened in the early 1990s, was funded by the Japanese Government.
But as Honiara’s population grew, the facility became smaller, forcing a high number of vendors to sell their products in the open.
The situation prompted the Australian Government to step in and funded the extension.
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