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Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr toured six (6) project sites implemented by grantees of the Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund. Accompanied by councillors and staff of the Freetown City Council (FCC).
At Kroo Town Road Market, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr inspected a newly installed shade cover structure fitted with solar-powered lights and fans, supported by a hybrid energy system that combines solar power and water batteries.
The tour then proceeded to Mafemgbeya–Cockle Bay, where the Mayor visited a mangrove restoration site with 15,000 seedlings, undertaken by Nature for Mangroves as part of a broader mangrove rehabilitation initiative.
Furthermore, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr visited Sierra Electric Technology at IMATT, a youth-led enterprise developing electric technologies. During the visit, she observed an irrigation system and a pilot project focused on retrofitting conventional keke tricycles into battery-powered electric kekes.
Additionally, the team also visited the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, where Greentech Bioenergy has installed a biodigester system that converts food and chimpanzee waste into clean cooking gas. The system is currently being used by the sanctuary for food preparation.
The team then visited another biogas project piloted in a private residence by Youth in Action for Sustainable Climate. The tour concluded at the Low-Cost Market in Kissy, where Girls in Renewable Energy, another youth group, has installed solar lighting, transforming the market into a safer, more vibrant space that enables trading activities to continue at night.
Speaking after the visit, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said, “It’s been really heartwarming and encouraging. We’ve seen real impact, strong commitment, and innovation. As a council, we are committed to ensuring sustainability, because ultimately we want to bring two things together: youth empowerment through real job creation, and meaningful climate action.”
Finally, the Bloomberg Youth Climate Action Fund currently benefits young people in over 100 cities worldwide and is expected to expand to 300 cities. In Freetown alone, the Fund has supported 27 youth groups over the past two years, providing grants of up to $5,000 each and disbursing approximately $130,000 in total.
