Sierra Leone: Eco-friendly mayor wins German Africa Prize

"I grew up in a green city. I loved climbing the trees, even when I was little," Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr tells DW.

These memories of Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital, and a vision to restore the city to its former glory helped convince Aki-Saywerr, a charismatic environmentalist, to run for mayor.  

"When you see that it's all being destroyed, plus the sewage problems at the time, that was the trigger," she recalls.

Since Aki-Sawyerr took office six years ago, the capital, hammered by decades of civil war, has been transformed into a place worth living in. Housing, water supply and waste collection have improved significantly. 

Her efforts have also been recognized abroad. On Wednesday, Aki-Sawyerr was awarded the 2024 German Africa Prize in Berlin.

'Unwavering' commitment

The German African Foundation (DAS) honored Aki-Sawyerr for implementing her "vision of a liveable, just and sustainable capital." The foundation has also recognized her "unwavering"  commitment to sustainable urban development and local participation in awarding her the 2024 German Africa Prize. 

Bärbel Bas, president of Germany's lower house of parliament, presented her with the award in Berlin. Bas said women leaders such as Aki-Sawyerr are a great inspiration for future female politicians.

"You are a woman who feels at home everywhere in the world. You always come across as authentic, whether in a panel discussion at the United Nations or in conversations on the streets of Freetown," Bas said.

Aki-Sawyerr was chosen over two dozen candidates by an independent 20-member jury chaired by the head of Deutsche Welle's Africa programs, Claus Stäcker. In his laudatory speech, Stäcker gave an insight into the winner's life story, which has been driven by the belief that true transformation can only be achieved together.

"Inaction is never an option for Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr," he said.

Since 1993, the German Africa Foundation has honored outstanding efforts toward democracy, peace, social issues, human rights, sustainable development, research, art and culture in Africa. The non-partisan foundation says the mayor is much more committed than her office would require.

Aki-Sawyerr knew what she wanted and acted on her inner conviction: the green city of her childhood should remain liveable for future generations.

After studying in Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom, she embarked on a promising career in the financial sector, working as a financial expert and auditor in London for more than 25 years. 

However, when her country was shaken by the 2014 Ebola crisis, she returned to Freetown, a port city with more than 1 million inhabitants, as a crisis manager.

The city of trees

When she defeated five male candidates to become Freetown's first female mayor, Aki-Saywerr's four-year plan, "Transform Freetown," was a key aspect of her campaign.

She directed her office to fix the catastrophic waste problems and to plant trees in Freetown's deforested hills. She says Freetown will now even give away 25,000 trees.

Whatever the mayor tackles, the residents are involved. This citizen-oriented management style has earned Aki-Sawyerr both local and international recognition.  

There is still much to do, Aki-Sawyeer tells DW. "The population growth, the lack of urban planning, the challenges in obtaining planning permission, all of this has meant that despite five years of hard work, we still have a long way to go."

But she also takes pride in what has been achieved. "There are two things that I would definitely say will be remembered as my legacy as mayor of Freetown," she says.

"One is — this is not so surprising — Freetown, the city of trees. Our goal was to plant 1 million trees. The second is wastewater treatment."

At the beginning of 2020, Aki-Sawyerr launched the "Freetown The Treetown" initiative with the ambitious goal of planting 1 million trees in Freetown within two years. She has almost achieved this today with 977,000 trees planted. The many new trees are also lowering the city's air temperature andincreasing its resilience to flooding. 

 

Better quality of life

At the top of the list are projects with direct benefits. Sewage sludge is turned into CO2-free briquettes. The city has received a wastewater treatment plant, and 160 water storage tanks and rainwater collection systems have been installed. Waste from toilets is processed into compost, biogas and heating briquettes, Aki-Sawyerr tells DW.

In 2021, she appointed Freetown's first chief heat officer, the first of its kind in Africa, and two years later initiated the city's first climate action plan, which regularly struggles with severe flooding and heat. Other innovative projects include solar-powered water kiosks that provide access to clean water. 

Aki-Sawyerr is quick to emphasize that tackling environmental problems is not her only goal, but she believes in recognizing how environmental problems are worsening the lives of Freetown residents. 

"Climate change is continuing. Temperatures are rising, sea levels are rising and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent," she says.

She adds that the work ahead should be done in the interests of Freetown's people. "It doesn't have to have a name on it now. It just has to be done."

However, her name is inextricably linked to Freetown's transformation. In 2023, she was not only chosen as mayor for a second term but also became co-chair of C40 Cities, a movement she is now steering with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. C40 is a global network of almost 100 mayors of the world's leading cities working together to combat the climate crisis.

Adenike Hamilton, Nikolas Fischer and Luisa von Richthofen contributed to this article.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp