Freetown City Council, with funds from the United Nations Capital Development Fund and other partners has supported the training of 200 young women in financial management and entrepreneurship as part of the Women for Water and Peace Project. The 200 women, chosen from Rokupar, Dwazark, Mayenkineh, Crabtown and Aberdeen communities, will work as Water Kiosk Operators and oversee the management of 25 boreholes currently being constructed by FCC and UNCDF in their respective communities.
Coordinated by the International Labour Organization and implemented by FARM TOK, the Gender Entrepreneurship Together (GET) Ahead training programme is a gender-sensitive entrepreneurship training designed for individuals with basic numeracy or literacy skills. It provides participants with both business management and essential soft skills necessary for starting and running a business.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr delivered the keynote address at the graduation and certification ceremony of the 200 women. The empowerment of these women alongside the construction of the 25 boreholes is a success story which FCC is proud of. Mayor Aki-Sawyerr encouraged the women to utilize the knowledge they have acquired, emphasizing the vital role of women’s empowerment in transforming families and society.
The training aligns with FCC’s Transform Freetown – Transforming Lives 2024–2028 Development Planning Framework, which seeks to create dignified jobs for 120,000 youth and women by 2028.
