By George M.O. Williams
Land for Life (LfL), in collaboration with the Media Initiative for Climate Change and the Environment (MICCE), has called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, local councils, traditional leaders, civil society organisations and communities to address Freetown’s growing waste management and urban planning challenges.
The call was made on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, during the Clean Freetown Campaign Symposium and presentation of a policy paper at the Freetown City Council.
The policy paper is aimed at strengthening policy dialogue, improving institutional coordination and promoting collective action towards building a cleaner, healthier and more resilient capital city.
The policy paper concludes that although Sierra Leone has established many of the institutional structures, legal frameworks and policy instruments required to improve environmental governance and waste management, significant gaps remain in implementation, coordination, financing and enforcement. It notes that sustained investment in waste management infrastructure, stronger inter-agency cooperation and increased public participation will be essential to achieving long-term environmental sustainability.
Land for Life focused on addressing challenges within Sierra Leone’s land sector by working with government authorities and traditional leaders. However, because the organisation’s mandate did not extend to land-related interventions within Freetown, it engaged the Mayor of Freetown to identify other priority areas where it could contribute.
This prompted Land for Life to broaden its engagement by supporting the Freetown City Council’s “Dorti Mus Go” campaign through dialogue, policy advocacy and stakeholder collaboration aimed at strengthening waste management systems.
Speaking at the event, the Director and Fellow of the Media Initiative for Climate Change and the Environment, Martha Kargbo, underscored the importance of public education in changing attitudes towards waste disposal.
She said environmental awareness campaigns must be sustained and accompanied by continuous citizen engagement, strict enforcement of environmental by-laws and greater accountability from both institutions and residents.
She observed that environmental protection cannot be achieved by the government alone, stressing that communities must become active partners in keeping the city clean and protecting public spaces.
Presenting the policy paper, Media Consultant Bockarie Mattia Esq. described Freetown as being at a defining moment in its urban development.
He said the city is experiencing rapid population growth, uncontrolled urban expansion, inadequate waste collection systems, environmental degradation and increasing climate-related risks, all of which are placing enormous pressure on infrastructure, public health and the natural environment.
According to him, poor waste disposal practices, indiscriminate construction and weak enforcement of planning regulations have compounded flooding, pollution and sanitation challenges across the city.
He emphasised that addressing these issues requires integrated planning, stronger institutions and coordinated action involving government, development partners and local communities.
They noted that effective waste management requires coordinated planning, adequate financing, public education and improved institutional cooperation, adding that fragmented approaches have limited the effectiveness of previous interventions.
The Deputy Chief Administrator of the Freetown City Council, Alhassan Yillah, said the council remains committed to improving sanitation despite limitations in its legal mandate.
He explained that the FCC currently does not have full authority over city planning functions, which remain under the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning.
Yillah disclosed that discussions are ongoing with the ministry regarding the devolution of key planning responsibilities, including the issuance of building permits, to the council.
He expressed optimism that transferring some of these responsibilities would strengthen urban planning, improve compliance with development regulations and enhance the council’s ability to effectively manage the city’s rapid expansion.
He highlighted the absence of a properly developed landfill site for Freetown as one of the city’s most pressing waste management challenges. They attributed the situation to increasing pressure on available land as the city’s population continues to grow and urban settlements expand.
Yillah argued that significant investment in modern waste management infrastructure, sanitary landfill facilities, recycling plants and waste-to-resource initiatives would not only improve sanitation but also create employment opportunities, stimulate local enterprise and generate revenue for councils through recycling and resource recovery.
The Western Area Rural District Council’s Sanitation Lead and Waste Management Focal Person, Yusif Koroma, observed that waste management is influenced by both local human activities and wider global environmental trends. He noted that climate change and global warming continue to increase the frequency and severity of flooding, particularly where drainage systems are blocked by improperly disposed waste.
Koroma urged communities to adopt responsible waste disposal practices while encouraging policymakers to integrate climate resilience into urban planning and sanitation strategies.
Also speaking, the Deputy Head of Media of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), ASP Mohamed Bobson Senu, disclosed that the Sierra Leone Police has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Freetown City Council to strengthen collaboration in maintaining environmental sanitation across the city.
He said the partnership will see the police provide operational support during city cleaning exercises and assist the council in enforcing environmental laws and by-laws against indiscriminate waste disposal and other sanitation-related offences. He stressed that law enforcement has an important role to play in promoting compliance and protecting public health.