Foncha Junction roadside market thins out after relocation drive

The usually bustling roadside market at Foncha Junction was a shadow of its former self on Wednesday morning, following a recent relocation campaign by Bamenda III authorities.

During a visit by Hilltopvoices at about 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, the heavy crowds of traders and buyers that typically occupied the area on market days were noticeably absent. The section of the road that for years served as an informal trading space was largely clear, allowing vehicles and pedestrians to move freely.

The development comes barely a week after the Divisional Officer for Bamenda III, Ayuni Austin Sakah, and officials of the Bamenda III Council carried out a sensitisation campaign urging traders to relocate to the newly constructed Ntasen Market in the Below Foncha neighbourhood.

Divisional Officer for Bamenda III, Ayuni Austin Sakah during the sensitisation

On June 10, authorities declared that day the final opportunity for traders to operate along the roadside and warned that continued occupation of the highway would no longer be tolerated.

A stroll through Foncha Junction on Wednesday suggested that many traders may have heeded the call.

Photographs obtained by Hilltopvoices show an unusually open stretch of road where vendors selling foodstuffs, clothing and footwear had regularly occupied portions of the highway, especially on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

However, the relocation appears not to be fully complete.

Hilltopvoices observed a few traders still conducting business in areas adjacent to the road, though they were no longer occupying the tarred surface as had previously been the case. Some vendors displayed goods from nearby spaces off the main carriageway, while others appeared to be testing the new arrangements put in place by authorities.

The reduced activity marks a major change at a location that had gradually evolved into one of Bamenda's busiest informal trading points.

Authorities have argued that relocating traders to the Ntasen Market would improve public safety, reduce congestion and encourage the use of municipal infrastructure built to accommodate commercial activities.

The move has nevertheless generated debate among traders, some of whom have previously expressed concerns about security, customer access and flooding at the new market site.

Bamenda III officials have maintained that security around the market will be strengthened and that flood mitigation works carried out in the area have significantly reduced the risk of flooding.

It remains unclear how many traders have fully relocated to the Ntasen Market or whether enforcement measures will be introduced against those who continue to operate around Foncha Junction.

For now, however, one of Bamenda's most familiar roadside markets appears to be undergoing a visible transformation, with the crowds that once characterised market days giving way to a noticeably calmer scene.

By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web

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