Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, OBE was sworn in as Mayor of Freetown in May 2018 with a commitment to transform Freetown using an inclusive, data-driven approach to address challenges in the city. She holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics and a BSc (Hons) in Economics from Fourah Bay College. A finance professional with over 25 years of private sector experience in strategic planning, risk management consulting and project management, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr’s public sector engagement began with her work as the Director of Planning at the National Ebola Response Centre during the Ebola epidemic of 2014-2015. She also served as Delivery Team Lead for the President’s Recovery Priorities, to drive socio-economic recovery in Sierra Leone post Ebola. Her advocacy and charity contributions include campaigning against “blood diamonds” during the Sierra Leone civil war and co-founding the Sierra Leone War Trust for Children (SLWT) which continues to support disadvantaged children in Sierra Leone today.