Traders in Madina town, Tonko Limba Chiefdom in Kambia district, have on Friday October 17, 2020 told Premier News that the closure of the borders have impeded cross-border trade with neighboring Guinea leading to low sales in return.
Mabinty Dumbuya, the chairlady of the traders in the chiefdom, explained that before the closure of the border traders imported food stuffs and other commodities that were in short supply in Sierra Leone from Guinea. She revealed that since the borders had been closed they could no longer import goods into the country from Guinea, causing them to buy goods within Sierra Leone which cost them a lot more.
“We used to import flour, groundnut, fish, onion, cooking oil, rice etc, from Guinea, but some of us have stopped as a result of high expenditure.”
She said that, before the closure of the borders they themselves crossed the border on those business trips, but now they transact through mobile phone.
“When we want goods we will call our customers and they will give goods to drivers and who will transport them to us. Sometimes, what we usually pay for the goods is what we would get and sometimes we will have no profit. We are doing it because it has been the only way to make a living,” she explained.
She furthered that, before the closure of the borders, they bought a basket of fish for not more than Le 500, 000, but now they buy it at Le700, 000 or Le 800, 000.
She said, “We buy goods, but customers hardly come to buy our goods. Our children are all suffering and it is very difficult to take care of their schooling.”
She appealed to the government to open the borders so that they could be able to take care of their children’s schooling and manage their lives.
By Ibrahim S.Bangura
21/10/2020. ISSUE NO: 7935