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Former Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr who is up for re-election in two months, has been speaking about her five years in office which she describes as challenging, but with so much more left to be done for the development of Freetown as well as improving the lives of the City’s over two million people.

“My first term was marked by significant achievements as well as unprecedented challenges. As I share a brief video highlighting a few of those achievements, I am excited about what we will achieve together in my next term,” she said.

Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr OBE is the first elected female Mayor of Freetown and the first woman to lead the city after almost 40 years. Her election as Mayor of the country’s capital city and her inclusive, people-centered approach to leadership have inspired and continue to inspire many young girls and women in Freetown and across the country.

Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr established the YAS Girls Leadership Foundation in January 2022 because of her passion, commitment, and desire to be deliberate and targeted in inspiring future female leaders and supporting them as they seek to navigate the challenges they face.

Sierra Leone ranks 155th of 162 countries in the 2019 Gender Inequality Index. According to UNICEF, females continue to fall significantly behind males in literacy rates. 43% of girls in Sierra Leone are married by the age of 18.

Adolescent girls in Sierra Leone face numerous challenges as they begin the transition to adulthood.

Decisions on their education and their future can become a burden; making these life-changing decisions are even more difficult due to the lack of female role models for girls to speak with and learn from.

The three ‘’Wings’’ needed to allow girls to fly in accordance with the values of the YAS Girls Leadership Foundation are: Prioritizing education; Persevering through challenges; and Self-belief.

The ultimate goal of the YAS Girl’s Leadership Foundation is to ensure that the women and girls who make up 51% of Sierra Leone’s population, can truly fulfill their potential and positively impact the development of Sierra Leone.

The People’s Redemption Party primary election for the November 11 Kogi governorship election saw Dr. Abdullahi Bayawo win.

The Party’s Lokoja governorship primary election, which was overseen by Mallam Umar Onuja and seven other members of the Indirect Mode Primary Election Commission, saw Bayawo emerge as the victor.

Babayo was declared the winner of the governorship ticket for the Kogi governorship election on November 11 by Onuja, who also announced the results of the primary poll.

“While I congratulate Dr Abdullahi Bayawo over his emergence, I also thank the party leadership and the delegates for allowing us to have a free, fair, peaceful and transparent primary election.

“It’s our expectation that after this process, we shall join hands and work together to ensure that the PRP emerge victorious in the governorship election come Nov. 11,” the committee chairman said.

Bayawo, a native of Kogi’s Ankpa Local Government Area, urged for cooperation among party supporters in his acceptance speech in order to guarantee success at the polls.

When running for governor on November 11, the candidate—a retired director from NDLEA—promised to lead Kogi State to the promised land by tackling pressing problems that the current administration has shied away from.

“Kogi has both human and natural resources, which when harnessed can turn around the fortunes of the state as well as do away with poverty, deprivation and hardship.

“Let’s team up together as a force, work tirelessly and take power through the ballot and salvage our people and our state this time around, ” Bayawo said.