It has been over two years since Abaynesh Rega, a small-time vegetable seller, began struggling to make ends meet. She works day and night selling onions, tomatoes, potatoes and kale to passersby on the wide pavement of a road in the area known as Haile Garment in Nifas Silk Laphto District.

It is the only means of income she has to take care of her three kids, and rest is a luxury she can ill afford. After toiling well into the night at her trade, she needs to tend to her motherly duties before she can catch a wink of sleep. A story like hers is nothing out of the ordinary for the many women who work as vegetable vendors in the area.

A short while ago, a glowing opportunity seemed to present itself to Abaynesh and her colleagues. The construction of a vegetable and fruit market laid its foundation right in the neighbourhood where they worked, although many had to vacate the area due to the construction work.

"Struggling for one month wasn't an issue compared to the advantages, and the doors [the market] could open for so many women like me," said Jemila Mohammed, another small-time vegetable vendor.

Though Jemila and others like her were optimistic initially, the story has so far proven to be a sombre and disappointing one.

Following the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Atikilt Tera, a vast open vegetable and fruit market originally based in Piassa, temporarily moved to the fields of Jan Meda, a sports ground, to curb the spread of the virus. The market stayed in Jan Meda for over five months. Ultimately, it was given its new home at the Lafto Vegetable & Fruit Market Centre in the Haile Garment neighbourhood of southwestern Addis Abeba. The location seemed to surprise both customers and vendors.

The location is relatively well-suited for a fruit and vegetable market. It affords easy access to basic infrastructure, according to Abdulfeta Yusuf, head of the Addis Abeba Trade & Industry Bureau. "Getting such a plot of land that is relatively near to the city centre is no easy feat," he said.

With a construction period which lasted only a month, the 8,000Sqm market was opened for business in early January 2021. It cost an estimated one billion Birr to build, and space in the marketplace is being rented out at 100 Br a square metre.

The market contains 980 compartmentalised shops accommodating 516 small-scale vendors, 46 distributors and 24 farmers. The stands lie in rows with wide spaces dividing the sections. It has a large parking area and is well-secured with constables guarding the compartment rows. The market opens at 6:00am and closes around 7:00pm.

The construction of this vegetable market has created jobs for more than 2,000 people. This includes caretakers and those who worked loading and unloading produce at the previous market in Jan Meda, as well as 100 waste collectors hired to keep the area clean.

One of the motives behind this project is to give a platform to women with small-time vegetable selling businesses, according to Adanech Abeibei, deputy mayor of Addis Abeba, speaking at the inauguration of the Centre a few weeks ago.

However, behind the shops, there is an abandoned plot of land fenced off with corrugated iron sheets where small-time vegetable vendors like Abaynesh and Jemila have settled in makeshift stalls with plastic tarps over their heads for shade.

They relate that promises they had received from officials about the allotment of space in the new market have yet to materialise.

It is an unpleasant prospect that faces the small-time vegetable vendors who are struggling to cope. They are not allowed to sell during the daytime with guards patrolling the market to make certain of it. They are forced to work at night and in the early morning to afford their daily bread.

"It's tough to fight injustice when regulations tie both your hands," remarked Senayit Awelachew, one of the struggling vendors.

The issues are exacerbated by the fact that most vendors carry identification cards from Oromia Regional State. To organise themselves into a legally recognised association or union, they need to carry identification from a kebelein Addis Abeba. And since kebelesare not currently distributing new identification cards, they are unable to work.

"We were excited to have a horse in the race, but we didn't get anything we were promised even though we have been paying our taxes and delivering on our duties," a frustrated small-time vendor mentioned. "We were asked to rent a tent for 500 Br and a shop for around 1,500 Br to 2,000 Br a day."

On the contrary, in the opinion of Getnet Yawkal, an expert on corporate and commercial law, paying taxes and settling in an area for a long time does not grant either property rights or the right to ask for it.

"In Ethiopia, the land belongs to the government," said Getnet. "Without evidence that shows their ownership, it's a far-fetched argument."

The government itself insists that it is mobilising to help these women.