By Pst. Mohamed Alpha Koroma
Freetown’s governance is currently highly centralized, relying heavily on the limited capacity of the Freetown City Council and facing significant financial dependency on the central government. This centralization has led to inefficiencies in service delivery, unequal development across different areas of the city, and a weak connection between urban governance entities and the citizens they are designed to serve. As urbanization speeds up and demographic challenges grow, there is an urgent need to reform Freetown’s administrative framework. Rather than splitting the city politically—an idea some have proposed—it would be more effective to adopt the successful model utilized by the Ethiopian government to manage Addis Ababa.
Addis Ababa, home to over five million residents, employs a sophisticated metropolitan governance structure that segments the city into eleven functional subcities, such as Addis Ketema, Akaky Kaliti, and Bole. Each subcity functions as a semi-autonomous unit with its own administrative offices, leadership, service delivery systems, and responsibilities. These subcities are further divided into smaller units called woredas. A key advantage of the Addis model is its focus on bringing governance closer to the people, enhancing effective service delivery and accountability. The subcity administrations in Addis manage areas such as education, waste management, health services, and local taxation, all while operating under the broader oversight of the Addis Ababa City Government and possessing real authority and fiscal autonomy.
This governance approach has fostered more responsive and adaptive local governance. Instead of relying entirely on a centralized authority to govern the entire city, the Addis Ababa structure empowers each subcity to tailor policies and solutions to its distinct geographical, economic, and social contexts. This model has proven crucial in minimizing bureaucratic delays, encouraging community involvement, improving urban planning enforcement, and bolstering public trust in local governance. Importantly, this approach is about establishing functional zones with devolved powers and clear responsibilities, rather than merely creating political divisions.
Though Freetown has a smaller population than Addis Ababa, its urban complexity is equally significant, comprising highland and lowland communities, a congested central business district, and sprawling informal settlements. However, it continues to be managed as a single entity by the Freetown City Council, which is tasked with addressing all urban challenges without adequate decentralization or administrative structure. This outdated and overly centralized framework is ill-suited for the diverse needs of contemporary urban life.
Rather than partitioning the city into two separate municipalities, which could politicize service delivery and create unnecessary bureaucratic overlap, the government should consider dividing Freetown into subcities or metropolitan zones, each equipped with clear jurisdictional authority. These subcities would have their own administrative offices, local leaders, sector heads, community liaison officers, and budgets. They would be responsible for managing local markets, waste collection, primary healthcare, sanitation, and land issues, while still being overseen by the Freetown Metropolitan Authority. This structure would alleviate service constraints, foster healthy competition among subcities, and enhance citizen satisfaction through quicker responses and engagement.
The establishment of subcities in Freetown should also coincide with a new fiscal decentralization policy. Currently, local councils in Sierra Leone, including the FCC, function within a reactive funding model dependent on the central government for their budgets, which are often delayed and insufficient. This undermines local autonomy and hinders long-term planning. A reformed financial framework should empower subcities to generate revenue through service fees, property taxes, local business licenses, and urban development levies. The central government’s role should shift from being the sole financier to a strategic enabler via equalization funds, performance-based grants, and investment pools for infrastructure.
To prevent inefficiencies and duplication, the Local Government Act must be amended to institutionalize subcity frameworks within metropolitan municipalities. Each subcity should have budgetary independence, administrative autonomy, and statutory powers aligned with national development goals. The Ministry of Local Government should spearhead these reforms by piloting subcities in selected areas of Freetown, such as the Eastern Corridor, the CBD, and the Peninsula. Each of these zones should be assessed based on population, revenue potential, vulnerability, and urban development needs.
In summary, the governance model of Addis Ababa serves as a valuable blueprint for addressing urban complexities and offers Freetown a pathway that promotes administrative innovation without necessitating political fragmentation. Transitioning Freetown into a network of functional subcities could usher in a new era of participatory governance, spatial equity, economic vitality, and institutional resilience. It is a framework that places power where it is most effective—closer to the citizens.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Monday, June 9TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
