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Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr says the Freetown City Council (FCC) has been left out of the Sewa Grounds Market project, despite the market being built on city-owned land and the council holding shares in it.
Speaking in a recent interview, Aki-Sawyerr explained that before 2018, the market was handled jointly by the FCC and NASSIT, during the time of former mayor Sam Franklyn Gibson.
When she took office in May 2018, NASSIT had changed leadership, and FCC reached out to ask for updates and clarity on the project. While NASSIT promised to respond, she said they never got back to the council.
She noted that from 2018 until now, the FCC has not received any official report on the project’s status. A few months ago, during a meeting with NASSIT, the council was informed that the market would soon open. However, all contracts and planning have moved forward without the council’s involvement.
The Sewa Grounds Market was officially launched in April 2025. It’s one of the largest modern market developments in the city, aimed at giving street traders a clean and organized space to work especially those currently trading along Sani Abacha Street and Rawdon Street.
Although the market has opened, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr says the council still has no visibility into how decisions are being made.
