Have you run out of nail polish, razor blades or rat poison? Or is it a car tyre or used car seat you're after?
At the Xipamanine Market in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, you can buy anything from fresh fruit, bicycle inner tubes, fish and coconuts to used radios, fake designer clothes, yarns for knitting or second-hand watches, even a haircut. There is always something to feast your senses upon, quench your thirst or your appetite for chaos.
Due to its poor sanitary conditions, slack security and limited access to the area, the market has become a real headache for the Maputo City Council.
This is why it wants to relocate the entire enterprise to an area where conditions can be improved.
The ambitious plan is the pilot project for a major contract currently being undertaken by COWI in cooperation with local consultant SAL Consultoria and South African consultant, KV3, which involves helping the Maputo City Council expand their capacity to enter into Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).
Read the in-depth feature article about Xipamanine Market:Innovative improvement of Mozambican market (pdf)By Janne Toft Jensen, jaje@cowi.dk Published: 29.10.2007