By Sallieu S. Kanu
The Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, on January 8, 2025, delivered the keynote address in Paynesville, Liberia, to mark the official launch of the city’s Climate Action Plan. This pivotal event, led jointly with Paynesville Mayor Robert Bestman II, highlighted a growing movement of South-South collaboration to combat urban climate challenges across Africa.
The launch comes on the heels of February’s inaugural African Urban Heat Summit, hosted in Freetown by the City Council and Climate Resilience for All (CRA). That summit attracted mayors from seven African cities, including Mayor Bestman, who was deeply inspired by the city’s innovative climate interventions—ranging from the Heat Pavilion on Hannah Benka-Coker Street to mangrove restoration in Ojuku.
Motivated by what he witnessed, Mayor Bestman appointed both a Climate Change focal person and a Heat Officer upon returning to Paynesville. Over the past five months, his team has developed a localized Climate Action Plan and recreated the Hannah Benka-Coker Heat Pavilion—now the newly commissioned Heat Park at ELWA Junction, offering shaded cooling space to city residents.
The launch ceremony brought together senior Liberian officials, Monrovia’s Mayor John-Charuk Siafa, development partners, NGOs, community leaders, and students, culminating in a symbolic tree planting at City Hall.
During her visit, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr held high-level discussions with President Joseph Boakai and former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf on strengthening sister city ties and promoting peer-to-peer learning as practical tools for climate resilience.
Accompanying her were senior FCC climate officers and representatives from CRA and the C40 Cities network. Their presence underscored Freetown’s leadership role in fostering continent-wide climate engagement.
As Mayor Aki-Sawyerr returns to Freetown, she brings back the renewed momentum of a movement that’s reaching well beyond borders—turning inspiration into action across cities facing similar climate threats.