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Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the mayor of Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, has been awarded the German Africa Award for her innovative and unwavering commitment to sustainable urban development and local participation.
The prize will be presented to the African politician by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas on 16 October 2024 at the Allianz Forum in Berlin.
With her participatory approach to equitable urban development, the 56-year-old mayor, who has been in office since 2018, is realising her vision of a liveable, equitable and sustainable capital city step by step.
With this award, the German Africa Foundation (DAS) recognises Aki-Sawyerr’s commitment to sustainability, citizen participation and climate-friendly urban development, which goes far beyond the duties of her office.
Aki-Sawyerr, who was elected for a second term in office in June 2023, already has an impressive track record: By drawing up the ‘Transform Freetown – Transforming Lives’ development plan, which involved representatives from business and civil society as well as the government, she has not only shown how political participation can be successfully implemented. She has also initiated the construction and commissioning of the first wastewater treatment plant in Freetown.
In addition, Aki-Sawyerr has succeeded in creating over 1,500 jobs, implementing extensive flood protection measures and installing 160 water reservoirs and rainwater collection systems in the communities.
As part of the #FreetownTheTreeTown initiative, 977,000 trees have already been planted – among other things to mitigate the effects of climate change and protect the surrounding forests.
Like many African countries, Sierra Leone is also severely affected by the effects of climate change, with landslides and floods killing people. Digital tree tracking not only enables the sustainable monitoring of tree growth, but also creates an economic cycle that generates income opportunities for citizens by planting trees. The role model function is great; South Africa’s capital Pretoria, for example, is now seeking advice from Freetown to implement the system in its own city.
Aki-Sawyerr is also leading the way with innovative ideas in the transport sector and has, among other things, commissioned a feasibility study for the introduction of a cable car system.
With her projects, the mayor of the West African metropolis is creating jobs and investment opportunities in the areas of tourism, waste management, infrastructure development and the green economy.
One example of her networked, community-based approach is the water kiosks launched in March of this year. Here, young women from the communities are involved in the construction and operation of the kiosks, which are equipped with solar-powered cleaning systems.
The current 25 water kiosks not only offer numerous communities access to clean water for the first time, but also give young women the opportunity to run them as businesses, thus promoting their self-determination.
At the same time, the women-run water kiosks also reduce the risk of women becoming sexually assaulted while collecting water. These and other initiatives are expected to create 120,000 jobs for women and young people by 2028 and improve infrastructure, particularly in slum areas.
The internationally renowned mayor and financial expert is an inspiration for aspiring African political leaders. At a time when the climate crisis and growing urbanisation are posing increasing political and socio-economic challenges to municipalities around the world, she is demonstrating how participatory and good governance at local level can lead to effective solutions and improve living standards. In doing so, she has become a role model not only in her home country of Sierra Leone and on the African continent, but also for local politicians worldwide.
Since 1993, the German Africa Foundation (Deutsche Afrika Stiftung or DAS) has honoured outstanding personalities from the African continent with the German Africa Award© for their special commitment to democracy, peace, human rights, sustainable development, research, art and culture or social issues in Africa.
The award winners are selected by an independent 20-member jury. It is chaired by Claus Stäcker, Head of Africa Programme at Deutsche Welle. The award is presented by high-ranking German politicians in front of around 250 guests from politics, business and civil society. The DAS is a non-partisan foundation that is committed to communicating a differentiated image of Africa in the political arena and to the German public.
Background information on the award winner:
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.
© Deutsche Afrika Stiftung
