By Alusine Sesay
Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has strongly opposed plans to split Freetown into two cities, expressing concerns about the proposal’s potential negative impact on governance, urban management, and service delivery. In an open letter addressed to Hon. Ambassador Tamba John Lamina, Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, the mayor criticized the move, arguing that it lacked public consultation and could lead to administrative inefficiencies.
Her letter came after the government, through the Minister of Local Government Tamba Lamina, announced plans to create new cities and districts as part of a broader administrative reform. The new districts, Bandajuma and Kpanguma, will be established from areas currently under Bo and Pujehun Districts and Kenema and Kailahun Districts, respectively. Freetown will be divided into two cities to address rising population density and administrative pressures, the government claims.
Concerns Over Urban Management and Essential Services
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr highlighted the historical and economic significance of Freetown, stating that the city—founded in 1792—has played a pivotal role in trade, governance, and academic excellence. She emphasized that Freetown City Council (FCC) already faces mandate fragmentation, where key urban management functions such as land use planning, road maintenance, and water provision are controlled by separate government agencies instead of the local council.
She warned that dividing Freetown into two councils would worsen existing challenges rather than solve them. “Best practice in urban management, particularly for a city as compact and densely populated as Freetown, is to strengthen—not weaken—comprehensive and integrated planning for service delivery,” she stated.
Impact on Waste Management and Infrastructure Development
The Mayor also expressed concerns about the new waste management system, which groups Freetown’s 48 administrative wards into eight blocks for door-to-door waste collection. She cautioned that splitting the city could jeopardize ongoing waste management reforms and disrupt the “Operation Dorti Mus Go” campaign aimed at improving citywide waste disposal.
Additionally, she pointed to issues such as flooding, poor transport connectivity, and water catchment destruction—problems that require centralized urban planning rather than further division.
Financial Challenges and Equity in Revenue Collection
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr also raised concerns about funding constraints, citing delays in central government grant payments for 2025. She highlighted disparities in local revenue collection, noting that 80% of Freetown’s property tax revenue comes from the western half of the city, while the east—home to two-thirds of the population—contributes just 20%.
She cautioned that dividing the city could exacerbate financial inequalities, making it harder for the eastern part of Freetown to sustain its own council without adequate revenue streams.
Call for Greater Devolution, Not Division
The Mayor urged the government to focus on strengthening local governance through deeper decentralization rather than fragmentation. “What is required for Freetown to have improved service delivery is greater devolution of functions to the city council, not further disintegration,” she concluded.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said the proposed division of Freetown into two cities contradicts legal considerations and data-driven urban planning principles. She urged policymakers to reconsider the proposal, warning of its negative impact on governance, resource allocation, and urban development.
Referring to Section 2(2) of the Local Government Act, which grants the President authority to declare any area as a locality, Aki-Sawyerr pointed out that subsection (3) requires recommendations from the Minister of Finance and the Electoral Commissioner, with population size, density, geographical contiguity, topography, and future expansion among the factors to be considered.
Challenges in Expansion and Population Decline
The Mayor emphasized that Freetown’s geographical constraints—bounded by the Atlantic Ocean and mountain ranges—limit its capacity for physical expansion. She also highlighted official government data from the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census, which recorded a 42.3% decline in Freetown’s population since 2015, reducing it to 609,174 residents.
She argued that this population decline does not justify fragmenting essential service delivery or creating additional administrative costs for taxpayers. “A decline in population is no basis for fragmenting the planning and delivery of essential services to Freetonians,” she noted.
Concerns Over Governance and Economic Impact
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr warned that dividing Freetown would add further financial pressure to an already stretched government budget while weakening the city’s rich legacy and tourism potential. She stated that the best approach to improving urban management in Freetown would be greater devolution of functions to the city council, rather than further fragmentation.
In her appeal to the Minister, she reiterated her stance that Freetown should remain undivided, urging policymakers to prioritize data-driven planning and legal considerations before implementing such a significant change.
The Minister of Local Government has yet to respond to the concerns raised by the mayor. The proposed city division continues to generate public debate, with stakeholders urging the government to engage citizens before making final decisions.