Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr Obe

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE has served as the Mayor of Freetown since May 2018, following a diverse career spanning over three decades. As co-founder and Chairperson of the Sierra Leone Women's Trust from April 1999 to December 2017, Aki-Sawyerr has been a prominent advocate for gender equity and women's empowerment. In previous roles, Aki-Sawyerr led the Delivery Team for the President's Delivery Team for Transition and Recovery from January 2016 to October 2017, focusing on socio-economic transformation in Sierra Leone post-Ebola. Other significant positions include Director of Planning at the National Ebola Response Centre and Investment Director at IDEA. Aki-Sawyerr's early career included leadership roles in property development at Caleb Group and extensive experience in financial services at Arthur Andersen. Educational credentials include an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and a B.Sc in Economics from Fourah Bay College.