FCC and SLRA Begin Major Landscaping Initiative for Freetown Beautification

This week, the Freetown City Council (FCC) and the Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA) commenced a major landscaping initiative in four key areas of Freetown. This effort follows a collaborative meeting between FCC and SLRA leadership to develop strategies for beautifying the city through the planting of trees along major streets, as part of the FCC’s 2024-2028 Transform Freetown-Transforming Lives Development Project. The FCC plans to plant 2,500 ornamental, indigenous, and exotic trees along sidewalks in Congo Cross, Hannah Benka Coker Street to Bus Halt, Hill Station to Lumley roundabout, and Siaka Steven Street.

The beautification work is part of FCC’s broader strategy to increase vegetation cover, enhance climate adaptation, and reduce residents’ exposure to climate change risks. This project aims to create opportunities for tourism, skills development, and youth employment. As part of the Climate Action cluster within FCC’s Development Agenda, the FCC will invest in reforestation, green energy, heat mitigation, and clean air initiatives over the next four years. To address climate risks such as extreme heat, floods, landslides, air pollution, and coastal erosion, the FCC aims to plant, grow, and digitally track 5 million additional trees by 2028 through the #FreetownTheTreetown initiative. So far, 978,000 trees have been planted, and with the addition of 300,000 more trees this rainy season, the tree planting efforts will surpass FCC’s initial 1 million target set in 2018.

In collaboration with SLRA, FCC will utilize concrete boxes, pavement, and groundcover materials to beautify and green these streets. Over the next four years, the FCC aims to address Freetown’s challenges and create 120,000 decent jobs for women and youth. Urban tree planting is a significant step toward achieving this goal and providing job opportunities for these groups.