Bo Traders accept selling substandard goods
The lack of selling standard products at affordable prices, which have been a major problem in trade, was resolved in Bo on Saturday October 22nd, 2011 when the Attitudinal and Behavioral Change (ABC) Secretariat dialogued with Sierra Leone Traders Union Bo Branch.
Welcoming participants the Regional Chairman of the Market Sellers Union, Mr. David Moses thanked the ABC Secretariat for associating with them to affect President Koroma’s “Agenda for Change”. According to him, trade which is supposed to offer standardized product and service to consumers remains adversely affected by undesirable factors. These hounding factors influenced traders to be adulterating consumers. The Regional Chairman of Traders Union highlighted that the debilitating factors include harassment by police and custom officers, under supervision by Standards Bureau, tendencies of profiteering and over taxation among others. Mr. Moses summarized that this has added to the prevalence of bad attitudes and behaviors in the national trade sectors. However he assured that with ABC Secretariat intervention traders will come to terms of their importance in facilitating the well-being of consumers nationally.
Addressing attendees the Executive Director of ABC Secretariat, Dr. Ivan Agibola Thomas stressed on how traders are significant to the social, economic and political progress of Sierra Leone. The position of traders in national development, Dr. Thomas said, is revered and is supposed to be conducted professionally. He complained that the sales of substandard products are not only deceptive but life threatening. According to him the sales of substandard goods and services contravenes the spirit of perfect completion.
In her statement the National Coordinator and Second-in-Command of ABC Secretariat Nanette Thomas mentioned that traders are fond of exploiting consumers for no just reasons. Traders she urged must recognize their importance in effecting fair and satisfactory business. Consumer satisfaction, Nanette Thomas pointed, ought to be paramount. She observed that trade regulations are not in the best interest of buyers. Madam Thomas mentioned that traders who are links among producers and buyers are supposed to expedite their functions with humility. She objected to traders habits of tampering with the purity of products in their ambition to endorse profiteering.
The ABC Secretariat the National Coordinator and Second-in-Command confided is not only committed to addressing negative attitudes and behaviours with the social and political circles but economic circles as well. She maintained that on the basis that President Koroma has valued governing Sierra Leone as a business traders must realized as essential in this move.
Regional Secretary Ibrahim Jalloh
In his remarks the Regional Secretary of the Traders Union Mr. Ibrahim Jalloh thanked the ABC Secretariat for calling on them. He described the meeting as necessary and in furtherance with national development. According to Jalloh the introduction of the National Revenue Authority (NRA) Goods and Services TAXES (GST) is responsible for the current abnormalities in the trade sector. He stressed that traders hike prices because the custom officers are unduly corrupt. He cited an instance in which they charge traders five hundred thousand Leones only for them to receive a receipt of fifty thousand Leones. He further reiterated that the Anti-Smuggling department is swindling uncalled for sums from traders at crossing points. According to him this is what culminates to the charging of unreasonable prices. He called on the ABC Secretariat to look into the over burdened tax regulations that is facing traders to be uncompassionate to buyers.
Ester Pendema
The Market Head of Shell Mingo in Bo, Mrs. Esther Pendema confessed adulterating foodstuffs in order to maximize profit. This she said has become a culture among traders. Madam Pendema said although the acts are criminal, traders cannot otherwise recover overhead costs amidst exorbitant taxes. She promised that with the ABC Secretariat’s sensitization consumers will soon start getting expected values for monies spent. She took time to apologise on behalf of the traders for what she described as very negative attitude.
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