The Freetown City Council (FCC) has on Friday 8 July 2022 launched the full feasibility studies for the Freetown Cable Car system at their Auditorium in Freetown.

According to the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr the event was another significant milestone in the process of the design, financing and implementation of the Freetown Cable Car system, which is an innovative and sustainable transport intervention captured in the Urban Mobility Cluster of Freetown.

“We are thrilled to have secured funding for the full feasibility studies through a competitive process; Freetown was among 14 successful cities (out of applications from 86 cities) to receive a grant funded by the German, French and UK Governments that will be implemented by C40Cities Finance Facility and GIZ,” the Mayor stated.

She noted that the launch offered the opportunity to share with stakeholders the rational for the Freetown Cable Car system; how it will complement and interface with the World Bank funded Sierra Leone Integrated Urban Mobility Project; technical aspects of the Cable Car system and its operations including the power source and safety measures, and how the C40Cities Finance Facility team will use their experience and networks to support FCC to structure the financing required make the Freetown Cable Car system viable.

“We are pleased to host Marco Salm and Max Lohmann from C40Cities Finance Facility (who are based in Bonn, Germany) here in Freetown for the next week. With Ing Modupe Williams as the FCC lead focal person, work on the full feasibility studies begin in earnest next week and will be completed on or before March 2024,” Mayor Aki-Sawyerr stated.

“We look forward to the successful execution of the full feasibility studies for the Freetown Cable Car system with collaboration from the central government and other relevant stakeholders,” she added.

Present at the launch was the Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Development Rev Dr Jonathan Titus Williams, the German Ambassador to Sierra Leone Horst Gruner, the GIZ Country Director Christian Widmann, the World Bank Country Manager, the UN Resident Coordinator, the JICA Country Manager, the FCDO Private Sector Lead and representatives of other MDAs. Also present were FCC Councillors, the FCC Chief Administrator and other staff, members of the general public and school children from schools along the proposed Cable Car routes.