By Millicent Senava Mannah
The Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning, led by Mr. Sahr M. Kanawa, convened a key Planning Committee meeting to review progress on the Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Project. Supported by the World Bank, this initiative aims to guide the spatial development of Freetown and six secondary cities—Bo, Bonthe, Koidu New Senbehun City, Makeni, Port Loko, and Kenema—for which spatial plans will be developed.
The meeting brought together consultants and key stakeholders, including Joseph Macarthy, Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Urban Research Center. Macarthy emphasized the project’s importance, explaining that it stems from a World Bank-supported consultancy aimed at improving urban development across the country.
“We are all aware of the chaotic trajectory of our urban development, both in cities and settlements across the nation,” he said.
He highlighted the government’s concerns regarding unregulated urban expansion and its commitment to structured, long-term development plans. The project involves situational analyses to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, which will help formulate sustainable growth strategies for these cities.
Macarthy clarified that while the project does not primarily focus on relocating residents, some areas may require resettlement to improve urban planning. He called for collaboration between local and central governments, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure the project’s successful implementation.
“We provide recommendations to the government, which should work in coordination with local authorities and other partners to achieve these objectives,” he added.
Sarmad Waqas, Project Manager from Osmani & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd., an international consultancy firm from Pakistan, presented a detailed overview of concept plans for five secondary cities, along with the structural plan for Kenema.
Director Kanawa pointed out the severe challenges caused by Freetown’s poor planning and expressed concerns about the lack of urban planning programs in Sierra Leone’s universities.
“It’s devastating that we don’t have any planning programs in our universities,” Kanawa stated.
He commended the consultants’ presentations and urged all stakeholders to contribute their expertise to ensure the success of the project, preventing other cities from facing Freetown’s urban challenges.
Waqas highlighted a major challenge: the lack of existing geospatial data. To address this, his team conducted extensive field surveys, covering nearly every street in the project cities to collect crucial data.
“We covered almost every street, capturing geo-referenced photographs to process geo-data for all structures in the project cities—data that was previously unavailable,” Waqas stated.
The consultancy team also used advanced technology, including drone mapping and land-use surveys, to generate comprehensive geospatial datasets.
To ensure effective local participation, detailed training sessions were conducted in each city, involving representatives from local and district councils as well as the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning. These sessions provided hands-on experience with land-use planning and drone mapping, enabling local authorities to actively contribute to data collection and analysis.
Rebecca Vanathan, an Urban Planner from Iyer, presented the draft structural plan for Kenema, projecting that by 2040, the city would become a competitive urban center with significant economic activities and a doubled population.
“Kenema will be a competitive city by 2040,” Vanathan asserted.
She emphasized the importance of government intervention through bylaws and policies to regulate human activities and mitigate climate change risks. Key sectors—including forest reserves, agriculture, town center consolidation, residential development, and local service areas—must be strategically planned to enhance productivity and quality of life.
Director Kanawa urged consultants to ensure that new developments preserve the unique identities of cities such as Kono, known for its mining industry, and Makeni, a major trade hub. Instead of focusing solely on existing strengths, he encouraged them to explore additional opportunities, such as Kono’s fertile agricultural land and Makeni’s potential to become an educational center with the establishment of the University of Technology.
The meeting concluded with a commitment from all stakeholders to work collaboratively in shaping a sustainable and resilient future for Sierra Leone’s cities.