By Sallieu S. Kanu
On Friday, February 7, 2025, a day after the successful African Urban Heat Summit, the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, led a delegation on a tour of key climate resilience and heat adaptation projects initiated by the Freetown City Council (FCC). The delegation included the Mayors of Monrovia and Paynesville, the CEO, Board Chair, and staff members of Climate Resilience for All, the CEO of Quadrature Climate Foundation, the C40 Cities MD for Climate Solutions, and other summit attendees.
The tour began in the eastern part of Freetown at Ojuku, where the FCC recently planted 100,000 mangroves. This initiative aims to provide shade, restore local biodiversity, and reduce the risk of flooding. Delegates interacted with women and youth employed by the FCC as tree growers, caretakers, and maintenance workers, witnessing the positive impact of the project on the community and individual lives.
The next stop was the Kingtom Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant, where liquid waste is converted into briquettes, offering an affordable alternative to using wood or charcoal for cooking. The FCC plans to mechanize the briquette production process, aiming to produce at scale and make the briquettes available in markets in the coming months.
Delegates also observed the production of biogas directly from a toilet at Kingtom. A prototype public toilet with a simple biodigester demonstrated how energy could be generated from waste. Communities in Moyiba, Rokupr, and Coconut Farm have already embraced this technology. Delegates were impressed to see rice cooked on briquettes and a stove lit with biogas from the toilet, showcasing the potential to reduce wood and charcoal demand, thereby preserving trees and shade cover.
The tour continued to Congo Market, where new market shade covers are being installed to protect traders from the sun’s glare. Although not yet fully installed, the cooling effect of the shade covers was evident. Women traders expressed their appreciation for the relief provided by the new canopies. The previous shade covers were prone to wind lift and often flew off during severe storms.
The final stop was the newly created green space at Hannah Benka-Coker Street. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr highlighted the transformation of the area from an unauthorized keke park and trading zone to an oasis of green. Featuring pergolas and benches, the space offers shade and inspires residents to value trees, shrubs, flowers, and grass.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr expressed gratitude for the positive feedback from the summit delegates. She emphasized that the interventions are making a significant difference in the lives of Freetonians and that neighboring cities are interested in replicating some of the initiatives. She also noted that potential funders were inspired to provide additional support to enable the FCC to expand its efforts.
“We deeply appreciate the positive feedback from the summit delegates about the interventions they saw on the tour. We are pleased that potential funders were inspired to provide additional support to enable FCC to do more. We are humbled that our neighboring cities would like to replicate some of our interventions in their cities. But I am most grateful that the work that we are doing in respect of heat adaptation and more generally, is making a positive difference in the lives of Freetonians,” said Mayor Aki-Sawyerr.