Manufacturing Charcoal from Human Waste (Poo) Collected
Kingtom, Sierra Leone: In an Era of 'Green World,' this project aims to protect the environment and improve sanitation, especially in impoverished areas. The charcoal is produced through carbonization to ensure no lingering smell from the human waste.
By Theo Edwards
Kingtom, Sierra Leone: In an Era of 'Green World,' this project aims to protect the environment and improve sanitation, especially in impoverished areas. The charcoal is produced through carbonization to ensure no lingering smell from the human waste.
In recent decades, Sierra Leone has seen a significant increase in the commercial trading of timber and fuelwood products, largely due to the aftermath of the country's civil war.
Commercializing the production and trading of firewood for cooking fuel has led to rapid and alarming deforestation.
This project aims to protect the environment and improve sanitation, especially in impoverished areas.
The charcoal is produced through a carbonization process to ensure no lingering smell from the human waste.
The waste product is initially collected and deposited at the treatment plant. The waste (feces) is separated from the liquid at the treatment facility, which then flows into a geo-bag. The fecal matter is then dried in a greenhouse for approximately two weeks, broken down into powder form, and placed in a kiln to produce charcoal briquettes.
The concept of producing sustainable fuel charcoal using human waste (feces) and sawdust was first introduced in Kenya by a company called Sanivation, creating a new fuel source for cooking.
“The Process In a Video.”
By Theo Edwards for YAME
Freetown Cable Car Project Promoted At The Cable Car World Congress In Essen
The availability of the technical and financial feasibility studies funded by the C40 Cities Climate Finance Facility and undertaken by GIZ increased the level of interest in the project from potential participants. Furthermore, the support for the project by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Transport and the synergies between the Freetown Cable Car Project and the World Bank-funded Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Projects strengthens the investment case for the cable car.
©️Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE
June 5, 2024: The Cable Car World Congress In Essen, GERMANY
We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to promote the Freetown Cable Car project at the Cable Car World Congress in Essen, Germany. Under the patronage of the German Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Dr. Volker Wissing, the Cable Car World Congress brought together national and municipal government officials, cable car manufacturers, construction companies, professional advisors, and other industry participants committed to the delivery of the cable car as an integrated element of a green, urban mobility solution.
I was honored to be hosted by the Mayor of Essen on Monday evening and to respond to his kind words of welcome. The Congress was officially opened on Tuesday morning with a statement by the German State Secretary for Digital and Transport Hartmut Hoppner. I then delivered a welcome statement and throughout the two-day event, I participated in a panel on the financing of cable cars, presented an overview of the Freetown Cable Car Project, and together with other members of the project team, engaged in a series of bilateral meetings with cable car manufacturers, potential project financiers and advisors.
The availability of the technical and financial feasibility studies funded by the C40 Cities Climate Finance Facility and undertaken by GIZ increased the level of interest in the project from potential participants. Furthermore, the support for the project by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Transport and the synergies between the Freetown Cable Car Project and the World Bank-funded Integrated and Resilient Urban Mobility Projects strengthens the investment case for the cable car.
The Freetown Cable Car Project currently comprises three proposed lines: the East Corridor; the Mountain Corridor; and the West Corridor. The feasibility studies have been undertaken for the 3.6 km long East Corridor route which will run from Kissy Ferry Terminal to Government Wharf via Up Gun, Mountain Cut, and Eastern Police. The journey time along this route will be reduced to just 14.5 minutes!
Our discussions and engagements at the Cable Car World Congress have been extremely constructive. We are proceeding with the next steps on the journey to structure and secure the financing for the Freetown Cable Car Project. We hope to complete this important step within 6 to 9 months.
©️Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE | June 5, 2024Feel free to join the conversation by posting your comment! We encourage readers across the political spectrum to participate. We hold Space for everyone on YAME. yame [dot] space.
Early Rainfall Causes Havoc at Portee: Freetown City Council Communication
The heavy rains in the early hours of this morning were accompanied by the return of an unfortunate habit – some Freetonians emptying their garbage into gutters and waterways during the rain.
April 23, 2024
Truly disgusting! This filth is a product of our attitude towards waste management.
The heavy rains in the early hours of this morning were accompanied by the return of an unfortunate habit – some Freetonians emptying their garbage into gutters and waterways during the rain.
The rains have come early and jumped ahead of our flood mitigation plans. FCC flood mitigation activities started at Juba Bridge on 3rd April.
After about five days we moved onto the canal at Lumley which had also become an illegal dumpsite last year. From there work began and is still ongoing at Kroo Bay.
The heavy rains in the early hours of this morning were accompanied by the return of an unfortunate habit – some Freetonians emptying their garbage into gutters and waterways during the rain.
As a consequence, we saw an overflow of several key drains and gutters across the city, including at Portee. This unfortunate practice is most often done by but is not limited to residents living in hillside communities that cannot be accessed by sanitation vehicles.
Speaking about the Council’s efforts, Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said: ‘The Deputy Mayor, the Chief Administrator, the FCC team, and I were out on the streets until way after dark to ensure that we effectively addressed the situation at Portee and elsewhere. All roads were cleared, and residents were sensitized in the process.
FCC flood mitigation activities will continue for the next few weeks. We are confident that within a few days, the positive impact of the recently expanded public space cleaning and the continued flood mitigation activities will yield positive results.
Additionally FCC is in the process of strengthening our sanitation bylaws; we are hopeful that parliamentary approval for that will be granted soon.
In the meantime, a reminder to us all that garbage on the streets doesn’t fall from the skies. Freetonians please don’t throw your garbage in the streets, gutters, and waterways and please do not use ‘Clean Salone’ Please only use FCC-approved waste service providers who operate with tricycles or vehicles. Thank you!’
The cleanup effort
The people and central and local governments have to change their mindset.
Debris on the New Road at Portee was completely cleared. Flood mitigation work across the city continues.
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr on 'X' formally Twitter
Sierra Leone 2023 Elections — Mayor
The Electoral Commission For Sierra Leone (ECSL) has announced Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC), is the winner of the 2023 Freetown City Council elections.
Freetown City Council (FCC)
Mayor-Elect
The Electoral Commission For Sierra Leone (ECSL) has announced Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC), is the winner of the 2023 Freetown City Council elections.
A week after voting in the June 24, 2023, general election, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr defeated her main rival, Mohamed ‘Gento’ Kamara, a Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) candidate.
YVONNE AKI-SAWYERR RE-ELECTED MAYOR OF FREETOWN, DEFEATS MOHAMED ‘GENTO’ KAMARA
The Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) has announced Aki-Sawyerr, candidate of the All People’s Congress (APC), is the winner of the 2023 Freetown City Council elections.
The incumbent, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, emerged victorious in the Freetown City Council mayoral election, securing 51% of the votes with 288,683 votes. Mohamed Gento Kamara, her primary challenger, garnered 48% of the votes with 268,213 votes.
ECSL Announces More Election Results — Parliamentary and Chairperson
ECSL 2023 Parliamentary and Chairperson |Local Council Results
ECSL Announces More Election Results - 2023 Parliamentary and Chairperson |Local Council Results.
Total Seats 2023 Parliamentary and Chairperson |Local Council
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr End Of Tenure Message
Pursuant to a letter from the Minister of Local Government dated 8th February 2023 instructing all Mayors, Chairpersons, and Councillors to “vacate” the Local Councils on 1st March 2023, I write to inform you that my tenure as Mayor of Freetown ends today.
Freetown City Council
March 1, 2023
Dear Freetonians
Pursuant to a letter from the Minister of Local Government dated 8th February 2023 instructing all Mayors, Chairpersons, and Councillors to “vacate” the Local Councils on 1st March 2023, I write to inform you that my tenure as Mayor of Freetown ends today. (For the record, this directive is in contravention of Section 137 of the Local Government Act 2022 which provides for local councils to be dissolved at the earlier of the dissolution of Parliament [25th April 2023] or the fifth anniversary of the first council sitting [30th May 2023]).
I will forever be grateful for the opportunity to serve Freetonians and to embark with you on our collective journey to #TransformFreetown. Yesterday, in a Press Conference at the Freetown City Council, I presented the Transform Freetown Four-Year Report which details our interventions and progress made between January 2022 and January 2023. A copy of the report is attached and copies of the First Year, Second Year, and Third Year Transform Freetown Reports can be accessed here https://fcc.gov.sl. I am excited about our achievements over the course of my tenure despite the many challenges I encountered personally and by the Freetown City Council as an institution.
#TransformFreetown is about transforming lives. Yesterday I was grateful to receive surprise visits and gifts from ordinary Freetonians, market women, and street sweepers, who gave moving testimonies about the 1000s of jobs created during my tenure and their own experiences of personal economic empowerment, growth, and development.
Yesterday afternoon was spent in a fun-filled farewell event with the FCC Staff during which I handed over to Chief Administrator Festus Kallay the 3 decorative mayoral chains as a symbol of the authority of the office of the mayor. It was wonderful to use that opportunity to inform FCC staff that after over 3 years of working on this, the FCC salary harmonization process had finally been completed, and a transparent system of salary bands that objectively reflect qualifications, experience, and length of service was being implemented for all staff from February 2023!
Celebrations of the end of my tenure continued in the evening with a cocktail event. I was so pleased to share the celebrations with All People’s Congress (APC) Party Flagbearer Dr. Samura Kamara, US Ambassador David Reimer, UK High Commissioner Lisa Chesney, Irish Ambassador Claire Buckley, World Bank Country Manager Abdu Muwonge, Tony Blair Institute Country Lead Mariama Anthony-Williams, EU Delegation Representative Serena Bertaina and many others development partners and stakeholders.
One of the highlights of the evening was a performance by the children from the FCC Congo Water Market Early Learning Adventure Center. These bright, confident, and assertive children of the Congo Water market women warmed my heart and are themselves a true representation of the work we have done to #TransformLives!
Yesterday was also an opportunity to thank God and to thank my family who have been incredibly supportive of me and without whom I could not have hoped to succeed. I was pleasantly surprised and deeply moved by a video that was shown at the event in which my mother shared her perspectives on the work that I have done and the impact it has had on the lives of others. (The video is attached below.)
Thanks must also go to the APC party and particularly to Former President HE Ernest Bai Koroma for entrusting the APC Mayoral symbol to me in 2018. I am grateful to the APC not only for the symbol but also for their support throughout my tenure.
#TransformFreetown is a collective action so my deepest thanks are extended to the FCC Councillors and Staff, members of the Mayors Delivery Unit (past and present), our development partners both in the country and abroad, to the central government, and most of all to Freetonians.
I leave office today grateful to have had the opportunity to serve, impact lives, raise awareness about climate change and design and implement interventions to address this major risk and other challenges in our city, and develop and embed systems and processes at the Freetown City Council that provide a foundation for sustainable development.
May I use this opportunity to wish Freetonians and all Sierra Leoneans a peaceful and democratic 24th June 2023 elections and a bright and prosperous future for our beloved city and nation. May God bless us all.
©️Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE
Sierra Leone: Freetown City Council
The new City Hall Complex consists of conference rooms, a 460 seater multifunctional activities conference hall with the latest technology, an underground power station of two 800KVA Generators, and a car park for over 100 vehicles.
Transform Freetown
Sierra Leone: Freetown City Council on 6th November 2020 hosted the Opening Ceremony for the new City Hall Complex and Hon. Tamba Lamina, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, delivered the keynote address.
Present at the Opening Ceremony was the Ambassador of South Korea to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Major General Lee In-Tae and his delegation; the Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon Patricia Laverly, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Solomon Jamiru; Esq. Also present were Dr. Kaifala Marah, former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ebun Strasser-King, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, members of the diplomatic community, Councillors and staff of Freetown City Council.
The 15 stories New City Hall is the administrative complex for Freetown City Council, whose primary purpose will be to serve as the Office of the Mayor and the Council’s Administration - a modern building in the heart of the City’s Central Business District. When all the contractual obligations finalized, the building expected officially hand over to the Freetown City Council administration.
The facilities include:
A rooftop garden, sky-lounge restaurant, kitchen, and ten hotel rooms
Three floors of ultra-modern office space, of approximately 1000 square meters each
A library, computer laboratory, and open exhibition area
Multi-story car park
An auditorium for 460 people with cinema seating, fully-fitted stage, and audio-visual equipment
The New City Hall will provide much-needed space for Freetown City Council to provide services and engage with residents as the Council implements its Transform Freetown Agenda. The council plan to lease out parts of the complex.
The official handing over of the building to the Council Administration is at the end of November, and moving in before December, 31st 2020.
The New City Council: The new City Hall Complex consists of conference rooms, a 460 seater multifunctional activities conference hall with the latest technology, an underground power station of two 800KVA Generators, and a car park for over 100 vehicles.