Kariakoo traders set for new business classification

DAR ES SALAAM: THE government is preparing to introduce a new system for classifying and identifying traders at Kariakoo Market according to the size and nature of their businesses, Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila has said.

The proposed reorganisation is intended to address challenges arising from small and large-scale traders operating in similar spaces and to improve the management of commercial activities at the country’s major business hub.

Speaking yesterday in Dar es Salaam during a meeting with editors of media houses, Mr Chalamila said Kariakoo was a major contributor to regional revenue and, therefore, required a clear system for organising traders and allocating appropriate business premises to different categories.

“Kariakoo contributes significantly to our regional revenue. Unfortunately, we have mixed small and large traders in Kariakoo,” he said.

He said the situation had created management challenges, including cases in which some large-scale traders sought to operate under arrangements intended for small traders.

Mr Chalamila said some large traders, including foreign nationals, had also sought to occupy spaces designated for small traders, making it necessary to establish a clear classification system that would match traders with appropriate business premises.

To facilitate the transition, he said the regional authorities had directed the Ilala District Commissioner to meet with small traders and educate them about the proposed arrangements for conducting business at Kariakoo.

Mr Chalamila stressed that all people conducting business at Kariakoo should be formally recognised as traders and operate from designated premises, instead of using tables in unplanned areas.

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“Any person conducting any kind of business who has Continued from Page 1 entered through the Kariakoo gate should, by definition, be considered a trader. Therefore, they should move away from using tables and take up the many available stalls,” he said.

He also called on owners of commercial buildings to consider reducing stall rental charges to make formal business premises more affordable to traders.

According to Mr Chalamila, the proposed reorganisation would also be linked to the implementation of government directives concerning properties owned by the National Housing Corporation (NHC).

He said the private sector would be encouraged to participate in developing additional commercial areas through partnerships, an approach that would increase the availability of business premises while helping to ease congestion caused by traders operating in unplanned spaces.

The Regional Commissioner said the government was also preparing a system to identify and classify traders according to their locations and the scale of their businesses.

The system, he explained, would enable traders to know where they were expected to operate while helping authorities determine the appropriate mechanisms for supervising different categories of traders.

Mr Chalamila cited the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) model, which categorises taxpayers according to the size of their business activities, as an example of a system that could be adapted for traders.

“TRA has large, medium and small taxpayers. We want to establish a similar system for traders so that we can prevent conflicts,” he said.

The proposed system is expected to provide a clearer framework for trader allocation, improve management of commercial spaces and support more orderly business operations at Kariakoo.