By Emma Black
On Friday, April 25, 2025, Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr was awarded the prestigious Lawrence C. Nussdorf Urban leadership prize at the University of Pennsylvania, the ceremony took place during the 20th Annual Urban leadership Forum hosted by the Penn institute for Urban research, recognizing her outstanding contributions to sustainable urban development in Sierra Leone’s capital.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr was joined by two other distinguished recipients Patrick Harker, president and chief executive officer of the Federal reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia (1998-2001 and 2016-2019). Peñalosa is celebrated for transforming Bogotá into a global model for urban innovation in areas such as public transportation and environmental sustainability.
The award citation commended Mayor Aki-Sawyerr for her leadership in advancing Freetown’s urban sustainability through transformative initiatives, these include the construction of the city’s first wastewater treatment plant, the digitization and expansion of the municipal property rate system, and the FreetownTheTreeTown initiative, which has planted and tracked 1.2 million trees to combat climate change and enhance the city’s green spaces. These achievements are central to her TransformFreetown agenda, a visionary plan aimed at improving the quality of life for Freetown’s residents.
In her acceptance speech, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr expressed deep gratitude to Professors Eugenia Birch and Susan Wachter, along with the awards nominations committee, for selecting her for this honor. She dedicated the prize to the Freetown City Council members and the dedicated teams working to implement the TransformFreetown TransformingLives agenda, emphasizing that the award reflects their collective efforts to drive meaningful change.
The Lawrence C. Nussdorf Urban leadership prize celebrates leaders who have made significant impacts in urban governance and sustainability. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s recognition underscores her role as a global leader in urban innovation, bringing international attention to Freetown’s progress and Sierra Leone’s commitment to sustainable development.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 5th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
