Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the mayor of the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, has been awarded the German Africa Award for her innovative and unwavering commitment to sustainable urban development and local participation.

On Wednesday evening, 16 October 2024, the President of the German Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, presented the German Africa Award 2024 to Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr at the Allianz Forum in Berlin in the presence of around 180 guests from politics, business and civil society. The mayor of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, works tirelessly for equal rights, citizen participation and sustainable, climate-resilient urban planning. With this award, the German Africa Foundation is honouring the 56-year-old’s unwavering commitment to her vision of ‘Transform Freetown’, which goes far beyond the duties of her office. The President of the German Bundestag emphasised that the municipal politician, who is committed to the advancement of girls and women through numerous initiatives, is a great inspiration for future female politicians and shows how innovative political participation – whether via round tables with business and civil society, talks in neighbourhoods and schools or on social media – can be realised at local level. In this way, Aki-Sawyerr succeeded in inspiring the people of Freetown to embrace and sustain democracy. In doing so, she demonstrated that we can learn from each other around the world, not only on the road to true equality, but also on the road to greater democratic participation.

Like many African cities, Freetown is facing the challenges of rapid urbanisation and is also struggling with the consequences of climate change. The Sierra Leonean capital is repeatedly flooded and hit by landslides. The informal settlements that have emerged as a result of the city’s massive population growth are also particularly affected. At the same time, money is scarce. This is why Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who has been in office since 2018 and was re-elected in 2023, and her city council are focussing on simple but effective measures paired with innovative ideas: For example, mangroves are being planted along the coast, for example – a natural protective shield against flooding of the coastal settlements. Trees are also being planted in and around the city to prevent landslides. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr’s ‘Freetown the Treetown’ initiative has not only planted 1.2 million trees to date, exceeding the set target of one million trees. Planting, caring for and digitally tracking the trees has also created new income opportunities for citizens. The mayor is also focussing on new solutions in the area of infrastructure: In order to reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector and ease congestion on the roads, Aki-Sawyerr commissioned a feasibility study for the introduction of a cable car system, laying the groundwork for the project to become a reality. France is already on board, explained Aki-Sawyerr, and called on Germany to also participate in the realisation of the cable car.

The challenges facing the city are enormous – but for Aki-Sawyerr, inaction is not an option, emphasised jury president Claus Stäcker in his laudatory speech. This is also reflected in her successes. For example, there is waste collection and wastewater treatment – all made possible by Aki-Sawyerr’s skilful investment policy and vision for the future of her hometown, which already serves as a model far beyond West Africa. However, these successes are not her personal achievement, but the result of the joint efforts of the city council and the citizens of Freetown, emphasised the laureate.

Here is a short film presenting the work of Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, produced and copyright by Deutsche Welle.

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Background information on the laureate

After studying at the Fourah Bay College in Freetown and at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr worked as a financial expert and auditor in London for more than 25 years. Her work in the Sierra Leonean public sector began with her involvement during the 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic and her subsequent role as the leader of the implementation team for the second phase of a multi-stakeholder programme to promote sustainable socio-economic Sierra Leone. She was elected Mayor of Freetown in 2018 and was re-elected in the 2023 elections. In addition to her local political activities, Aki-Sawyerr has also been co-chair of C40, a global network of mayors who want to work together to tackle the climate crisis, since November 2023.