PI-CREF, FCC UNITE TO ADVANCE S/LEONE’S FIRST MUNICIPAL CARBON CREDIT PROGRAMME

Freetown, Ministry of Defence, 11 June 2026 –_ Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr and her team met with the Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Food Security (PI-CREF), Dr. Kandeh K. Yumkella, to provide an update on key climate programmes, highlight achievements, and discuss challenges affecting efforts to scale up implementation.

The engagement followed recent discussions between the Mayor and His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio on advancing climate action and sustainable urban development in Sierra Leone. During the meeting, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr briefed Dr. Yumkella on the progress of the #FreetownTheTreeTown initiative, which has already planted approximately 1.2 million trees, created more than 3,000 green jobs, and mobilised strong community participation across Freetown and its surrounding catchment areas.

The Mayor noted that the initiative aims to expand to more than 4 million trees by 2028, with the potential to remove over 300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent while generating thousands of additional green jobs. Once registered under the Verra Carbon Registry, the project is expected to become Sierra Leone’s first municipal carbon credit programme and the world’s first municipality led carbon credit initiative.

Dr. Yumkella welcomed the progress made and described the programme as closely aligned with Sierra Leone’s climate and development priorities. He highlighted its potential to attract climate finance, support environmental restoration, and improve livelihoods, while reaffirming PI-CREF’s commitment to engaging relevant institutions to help address outstanding challenges and support the project’s accreditation process ahead of the September 2026 deadline.

The discussions also covered opportunities for collaboration on clean cooking, sustainable biomass, carbon markets, and the proposed National Climate Dashboard and Carbon Tracking Platform. Both sides expressed a shared commitment to strengthening climate action, accelerating implementation, and positioning Sierra Leone as a leader in carbon finance and climate resilience.