Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Order of British Empire (OBE) became Mayor of Freetown in May 2018 and dedicated herself to an inclusive vision of the city’s renewal. Her three-year “Transform Freetown” plan details 19 concrete targets across 11 sectors and covers issues ranging from tackling environmental degradation to facilitating the creation of jobs in the tourism sector.
Born and raised in Freetown, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s vision is to improve the lives of Freetown’s residents and to make Freetown a destination city.
Passionate about her country and the environment, Aki-Sawyerr campaigned against the trade in “blood diamonds” during the civil war in Sierra Leone and cofounded SLWT, a charity that has supported disadvantaged children for 20 years.
A finance professional with over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, risk management and project management in the public and private sectors.
She is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and a BSc Hons in Economics from Fourah Bay College. She is married with two children.