Fatoumatta Bittey, a Banjul resident, said building stores in the capital does not tell well, adding that businessmen are leaving the Kombos to come all the way to Banjul to build stores.
She further said that if businessmen continue building stores in Banjul it will be difficult for government to develop the capital for human settlement.
“We are not saying that they should not build stores in Banjul, but it needs to be minimal because this is the only capital for the country and not the capital of stores,” she said.
Alhagie Joof described building stores in Banjul as a huge challenge to the people of the capital. Joof added that usually businessmen buy compounds and build the ground floor as stores and the upper decks as residential but that is not the case in Banjul.
Momodou Salieu Jallow, a shop owner, said building big stores where the people stay is not helping petty traders.
Lamin Faye said that the way stories are built in Banjul is a contributing factor why people do not respect the capital. “It is high time government look into the issue though it is economically beneficial to some but also affecting people of Banjul,” he also said.
He said Banjul should be a modern city in West Africa if well managed.
