Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr was elected mayor of Freetown in 2018, and committed to transforming Freetown through an inclusive and data-driven approach to address the city’s most pertinent challenges. Aki-Sawyerr’s transformation plan focuses on climate change and resilience, human development, urban health, and urban mobility, with the use of innovation, community ownership, and transparency as underlying principles. Aki-Sawyerr has previously delivered a TED Talk regarding her transformative plan, and was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2016.