As Co-Chair of C40 Cities, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr welcomed Mark Watts, C40’s Executive Director, and Johnson Situ, Director of the C40 Co-Chair’s Office, to Freetown on April 2, 2025, for a familiarization visit. Freetown’s membership in C40 Cities provides a platform for peer-to-peer learning on climate action and access to finance for job-creating climate interventions.

On April 3, Mark Watts and Johnson Situ met with FCC councillors and staff and later addressed a press conference where Mark announced that Freetown has secured funding for two new climate initiatives:

1. Improving Air Quality- A partnership between C40’s Breathe Cities and African Cities for Clean Air will focus on monitoring pollution levels and deploying low-cost air quality sensors across the city to tackle air pollution.
2. Enhancing Heat-Health Resilience- Freetown’s “Enhancing Heat-Health Resilience” project has been awarded $100,000 in funding from the Rockefeller Foundation. This initiative will integrate climate and health data collection, train local community workers, and strengthen inter-agency collaboration to address the impacts of extreme heat. In line with C40 Cities policies, the funds will be spent in Freetown but will be administered by C40 Cities. Importantly, both initiatives will create jobs for young people in the city.In response to a specific request from Mayor Aki-Sawyerr last year, C40 Cities is also funding research on nature-based solutions for rainwater harvesting at the community level. Given that water access is the number one priority for residents, the council awaits the results of this study, which is expected to positively impact water availability in Freetown.
3. The C40 delegation also met with Director of Development at FCDO Alexandra Maclean discussed progress being made on climate action in the region and Freetown’s leadership in addressing the climate crisis.
4. During a meeting with the World Bank Country Manager Abdu Muwonge, they discussed the World Bank’s continued support for Freetown’s climate initiatives, including #FreetownTheTreeTown. In addition, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr and Mark Watts also met with key national leaders, including Vice President Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs Hon. Alfred Moi Jamiru. These engagements reinforced the importance of partnerships and collaboration in advancing climate action.
5. The visit also included interactions with young leaders, emphasizing their critical role in driving climate solutions and shaping a more sustainable future for Freetown.