There was an atmosphere of celebration, with singing and dancing, on Saturday 27 June 2026, as residents of Jah Kingdom in Kamayama, Congo Town Market, Owen Street by Mountain Cut, and Pamronkoh in Calaba Town welcomed the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE, during her inspection tour of newly constructed water kiosks and public toilet facilities.
The visit formed part of the Mayor’s ongoing commitment to improving access to safe water and sanitation through the Freetown City Council’s WASH infrastructure programme.
At Jah Kingdom, the Council has completed a solar-powered water kiosk and a four-unit public toilet facility, complementing the community’s earlier tree-planting initiative. Congo Town Market now benefits from a four-unit public toilet facility, which adds to the Council’s ongoing waste-to-energy briquette project in the community. Owen Street, Mountain Cut, and Pamronkoh, Calaba Town, have each received a new water kiosk to improve access to clean and reliable water.
The Mayor was joined by councillors Umaru Bangura, Samuel Kamara, Ibrahim Sorie Conteh and, Alhassan Olando Kaloko, Chairman of the FCC Water Committee, FCC staff, and project contractors.
Expressing her appreciation to community members for making land available for the projects, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr commended their cooperation and commitment throughout the implementation process.
“Your determination and support throughout the process have made these projects possible. I encourage you to take ownership of these facilities and ensure they are properly maintained for the benefit of current and future generations,” she said.
The Mayor also disclosed plans to establish a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for the management of the facilities to ensure their long-term sustainability, while assuring residents that local communities would play an active role in overseeing their operation.
Reflecting on the city’s long-term development needs, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr noted that the need to construct public toilets within residential communities highlights broader urban planning challenges. Ideally, if the Council had full authority over land-use planning and building permits, residential developments would have been required to include adequate sanitation facilities from the outset. Nevertheless, she said FCC remain committed to providing the essential infrastructure communities need today while continuing to advocate for stronger planning systems for the future.
At Owen Street, Mountain Cut, Chairlady Fatmata Dumbuya expressed profound gratitude to the Freetown City Council and Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr for providing the new water kiosk, describing it as a life-changing intervention that will improve access to safe water for community members.
Through its partnership with UNCDF under the Blue Peace Initiative WASH Infrastructure, the Freetown City Council will deliver a total of 65 water kiosks and 15 public toilet facilities comprising 60 toilet units, significantly expanding access to safe water and improved sanitation for thousands of residents across the city.
