By Joseph Momoh
Daily Scope Newspaper
Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE has brought the city’s climate priorities to a global audience during the 2026 London Climate Action Week, holding talks with world leaders, development partners, and youth advocates.
In her capacity as C40 Cities Global Co-Chair, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr met privately with UN Secretary-General António Guterres to discuss ways of speeding up climate action at the city level and improving the contribution of urban centers to global climate targets.
She also delivered keynote speeches at the Mayoral Dialogue on urban resilience and at a session hosted by ODI Global and the LAGO Collective. In both forums she underscored the need for locally driven solutions to build climate-resilient communities and stressed the value of women-led innovation in advancing green, inclusive growth.
At St James’s Palace, the Mayor attended an exclusive reception where she met King Charles III. Their discussion focused on C40 Cities’ ongoing efforts to cut emissions, improve air quality, and support sustainable development in urban areas.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr held bilateral meetings with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on urban development challenges facing African cities, and with the Executive Director of Breathe Cities to explore new investment for air quality and public health programs in Freetown.
She further recorded an episode of the BBC Climate Question podcast, set to air later this week, and continued her push for youth participation in climate advocacy through targeted engagements.
Her participation in the week-long summit highlighted Freetown’s rising influence in international climate discussions and reinforced the city’s commitment to environmental resilience and sustainable urban planning.
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