By Kadiatu A. Turay
In a continued effort to improve sanitation and expand public access to essential information, the Freetown City Council (FCC) has engaged more than 60 market women from the Kennedy Street, Portee, and Low Cost markets in a community outreach session on the city’s newly introduced sanitation byelaws.
Supported by The Carter Center under the Inform Women, Transform Lives initiative and facilitated by Innovation for community resilience Sierra Leone, the outreach aimed to equip market women with accurate, timely knowledge needed to keep their marketplaces and surrounding communities clean.
The session brought together chairladies, traders, local councillors, and FCC sanitation officials, creating space for open dialogue on the byelaws and the critical role of women in promoting behavioural change. For FCC, empowering market women is central to advancing Freetown’s broader sanitation goals, speaking at the event, Councillor Agnes Marrah, Chairlady of the Market Committee, stressed the need for understanding and compliance, a clean market means a healthier community. These byelaws are not meant to punish; they are meant to protect us all. When market women are informed, they become powerful agents of change,” she said.
A major highlight was the promotion of the toll-free 8244 information line, which provides residents with up-to-date details on waste collection schedules, disposal guidelines, and sanitation enforcement. FCC officials demonstrated how traders can use the service to access timely and reliable information.
Councillor Hakiratu Maxwell Caulker, chairlady of the sanitation committee, described the hotline as a vital tool, we want every woman in Freetown whether selling vegetables, fish, clothes, or charcoal to have access to the right information at the right time, this is how we build a cleaner city, she said.
The engagement encouraged open conversation, with market women sharing both concerns and commitments, Fatmata Sesay, a trader at Portee Market, praised the initiative but urged continued outreach, sometimes we don’t get information early, and that affects how we manage waste. Today, I learned about the 8244 line, and I see how it can help us. We want more of this training to keep our market clean, she said.
For chairladies, the platform strengthened collaboration, Hawa Kamara, chairlady of Kennedy Street Market, added, we are ready to work with FCC, but we need more tools dustbins, regular waste collection, and awareness for all traders, when the market is dirty, we the women suffer the most.”
Their testimonies highlighted ongoing challenges such as irregular waste collection and inadequate disposal infrastructure. Still, the atmosphere remained one of optimism and partnership.
Representatives from the FCC Sanitation Team, including Augustine Kamara, acknowledged the gaps but reaffirmed the council’s commitment, we are working hard to make waste management more efficient. But we also need the cooperation of market users. Keeping Freetown clean is a shared responsibility.”
The collaborative tone underscored a growing understanding that sustainable sanitation requires more than enforcement it demands trust, communication, and community involvement.
The outreach formed part of activities commemorating the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign that promotes empowerment, protection, and inclusion of women. This year’s initiative extended the conversation to access to information, a key pillar of women’s empowerment, a representative from the Carter Center explained:
When women have information, they can protect themselves; contribute to development, and demand accountability. Sanitation is not only a city issue; it is a women’s issue, a health issue, and a dignity issue.
As the session concluded, both FCC officials and market women expressed hope for continued collaboration. Innovation for Community Resilience Sierra Leone confirmed that similar engagements will be held across other markets to ensure widespread awareness of the byelaws.
For the women who trade, clean, and sustain daily activity in Freetown’s busiest spaces, the message was clear: they are not just beneficiaries of the new sanitation rules they are partners in implementation.
With better access to information, stronger community partnerships, and ongoing awareness efforts, the FCC hopes to build a culture of cleanliness that transforms Freetown’s markets and strengthens public health for all.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, 5th December 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
