Niamey Grand Market

The Niamey Grand Market (fr:Grand marché de Niamey) is the largest market and shopping center in Niamey, the capital and largest city in the West African state of Niger.[1]

The edge of the Grand marché. The distinctive tree-like pillars which surround the central buildings can be seen on the extreme right of this picture.

Location

The large market complex lies in the center of the city in a neighborhood named "Grand Marché" after it, east and south of the European style commercial and government center of the "Plateau" neighborhood. It was built within a colonial era park which divided the "European" and "African" sections of the city, south and west of the modern Stade Général Seyni Kountché and Niamey Grande Mosquée. The market is bordered on the west by the Boulevard de l'Independence, which is also the north-south route through the city of Route nationale 1.[2]

Infrastructure

A uniform structure for housing the market was first built in 1950, and is locally known as the Habou-Béné. A fire on 30 March 1982 destroyed the market, and it was reopened on 5 January 1987, after a rebuilding project which cost some 5 Billion CFA Francs. That incarnation housed 4000 shops, ranging from simple stalls and covered tables to the 1863 permanent structures which range from metal stalls to modern stores in two large buildings.[3] In May 2009, another fire gutted portions of the market, destroying around 1500 stalls and stands, 128 of which were housed in metal stalls, and the rest in the open or in less permanent structures.[3][4] The fire was believed to have begun in the area reserved for food stalls. Fire officials suspected an electrical cable short sparked the fire, which began at around 14:00 and was only controlled some four hours later.[5]

The market complex is operated by a national government body, SOCOGEM ("Société de construction et de gestion des marchés", "Society for the Construction and Operation of Markets").[3]

Importance

The Niamey Grand Market has been called the commercial center of the entire county,[6] as goods from across the nation and abroad pass through the center and are sold both wholesale and retail. The market, and especially its traditional craft center is an important tourist attraction, drawing an estimated 20,000 tourists a year.[7] A large bus and taxi station lies just behind it.

References
  1. Fire ravages Niamey's biggest market. Sapa-AFP. May 28, 2009.
  2. Geels, Jolijn (2006). Niger. Chalfont St Peter, Bucks / Guilford, CT: Bradt UK / Globe Pequot Press. ISBN 978-1-84162-152-4.
  3. Visite du Président de la République au Grand marché de Niamey : compassion aux sinistrés, mais fermeté à reconstruire et sécuriser le Grand marché de Niamey Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine. Siradji Sanda, le Sahel Vendredi, 29 Mai 2009.
  4. Plusieurs boutiques consumées suite à un incendie au Grand marché de Niamey Archived 2009-05-30 at the Wayback Machine. APA news. 27 May 2009.
  5. Incendie au Grand marché de Niamey : mettre l'accent sur la prévention et la prévision, selon le commandant du 8ème groupement régional d'incendie et de sécurité Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine. Oumarou Moussa, le Sahel. 29 Mai 2009
  6. Niger's main trade centre gutted by fire. PANA Press. 27 May 2009.
  7. INCENDIE DU GRAND MARCHÉ Des tonnes de marchandises parties en fumée. H. Adamou, Republican, Niger. 29 May 2009.
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