Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr
Tribute
Sierra Leone's capital city has flourished under Mayor Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr's leadership, but her most beautiful urban planning happens within her home, where she designed safe spaces for her two children to grow, explore, and develop their unique identities. We honour the infrastructure of family traditions she's built, the public services of unconditional love she provides, and the way she governs both city and household with compassion as her constitution.
Profile
Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr, OBE, is a politician and finance professional serving as the Mayor of Freetown since May 11, 2018. She has over 25 years of experience in strategic planning, project management, risk management, and corporate governance within the UK financial services industry. Before entering politics, she worked for Arthur Andersen and later became the Investment Director of IDEA, focusing on international finance and stakeholder management. She played a critical role in Sierra Leone’s response to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, leading awareness campaigns in the UK and serving as the Director of Planning at the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC).
Aki-Sawyerr co-founded the Sierra Leone War Trust (SLWT) in 1999, supporting children and youth in Sierra Leone. She was a key member of the President’s Recovery Priorities program, leading “Operation Clean Freetown” to establish a sustainable waste collection system. As mayor, she has focused on job creation, environmental sustainability, and governance reforms. She won re-election in 2023 as a member of the All People’s Congress (APC). Recognized for her leadership, she was honoured with an OBE. Aki-Sawyerr is married and has two children.