The Mayor of Freetown, Her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, has announced that the 2024-2028 Transform Freetown Development Plan, a successor to the previous 2019-2023 plan, will adopt an inclusive approach. This plan focuses on establishing interventions, determining effective ways to achieve them, and reporting progress, all supported by data innovation. As part of the process, 4,800 residents across 48 communities were asked to identify their top development priorities. Among the eight priorities, the top three identified were access to water, informal settlement upgrades, and access to health care.
Since its founding in 1792, Freetown has played a significant role in Sierra Leone. Today, it is home to 15% of the country’s total population and 35% of its urban population. The new development plan seeks to address the city’s key challenges, such as rapid urbanization, climate change, ineffective building permit issuance, and the absence of land use planning. With a population now exceeding 1.2 million residents, of which 800,000 are youths, and 70% of young people unemployed or underemployed, Freetown generates approximately 30% of the national GDP. The plan aims to tackle these challenges and create jobs through four key clusters: climate change, heritage tourism, digital economy, and human capital development. These clusters will focus on investments in reforestation, green energy, heat adaptation, expanding waste management value chains, and improving access to food through urban farming. The plan will primarily be funded through local revenue generation, with additional support from development partner grants and private sector investment.
During the launch, the Country Director of the World Bank, Abdu Muwonge, emphasized the importance of job creation in combating poverty. He highlighted the need for accountability to prevent illegal deforestation in the greater peninsular and stressed the urgency of addressing the dangerously low water levels at Guma Valley by stopping illegal and unplanned settlements along the water corridor.
Emma Spencer, the UK Development Director of the British High Commission, expressed her excitement about the city’s future. She affirmed the United Kingdom’s continued support for the new plan, as they had supported the previous one.
The Freetown Development Agenda includes the enforcement of waste collection fee payments by the FCC as mandated by the 2024 sanitation bylaws. This initiative involves distributing standardized waste collection bins to all producers, households, commercial businesses, and institutions, expanding the existing Kingtom waste management treatment plant, and constructing a new wastewater management treatment plant in the east end of Freetown. The plan also aims to create job placements and internships to help graduates develop competence, employability, and basic knowledge of entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the launch, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Alfred Moi Jamiru, emphasized the ripple effect of Freetown’s development on district levels. He encouraged the Mayor to engage with other local councils, noting that the 22 local councils in Sierra Leone could benefit from adopting Freetown’s successful initiatives.
The Freetown Development Plan, set to run for four years, includes several critical pathways and interventions aimed at creating 120,000 decent jobs for women and youth. This ambitious plan aims to transform Freetown and improve the lives of its residents.
