By Josephine Sesay
Freetown’s Mayor, her Worship Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, has spotlighted a persistent roadblock in the city’s urban development: the lack of authority granted to local councils over land use planning and building permits. In a candid interview with wake-up Sierra Leone, she laid bare how centralized decision-making stifles progress, pinning hopes on the World Bank-funded Resilient Urban Project to shift the tide.
The core obstacle to improving land use and building permits is the absence of a devolved mandate, Aki-Sawyerr explained, this centralization slows us down and curbs our ability to respond swiftly to Freetown’s needs, her words paint a picture of a city straining under outdated governance, yearning for agility.
the Resilient Urban Project, still in its infancy, offers a glimmer of promise, backed by the World Bank, it targets sustainable growth and disaster resilience issues that hit hard in a city prone to flooding and unchecked expansion. This initiative could equip us to manage urban growth and reshape Freetown for the long haul, the Mayor said, her optimism tempered by pragmatism.
Aki-Sawyerr didn’t mince words on the need for reform. She argued that empowering local councils is key to tackling Freetown’s evolving challenges, from sprawling slums to climate threats, Effective planning isn’t just about rules it’s about building a city that’s sustainable, inclusive, and ready for disasters, she stressed.
The project’s scope is ambitious: bolstering infrastructure, refining waste management, and fortifying defences against natural hazards. It’s a bid to transform Freetown into a climate-smart urban hub, a vision Aki-Sawyerr sees as within reach if local leaders get the reins, we need the autonomy to act decisively, she urged.
As Freetown swells with new residents and grapples with environmental strain, the stakes are high, the Mayor’s call for devolved power underscores a broader plea for governance that matches the city’s pace, whether the Resilient Urban Project delivers hinges on this shift. For now, Aki-Sawyerr stands at the helm, eyeing a future where Freetown doesn’t just survive but thrives.