Global Cities Fund Awards Grant to Freetown to Boost Green Jobs for Migrant Women and Youth
New York, NY—On World Cities Day, the Mayors Migration Council (MMC) announced a new Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees (GCF) grant to Freetown, Sierra Leone, supporting the launch of the Climate Resilient Market Hub—a flagship initiative to transform the city’s markets into climate-smart, inclusive, and economically vibrant spaces for migrant women and youth who make up the backbone of Freetown’s economy.
The project will introduce waste-to-energy technology, cold-chain infrastructure, and targeted capacity building to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, mitigate extreme heat, improve working conditions, and strengthen livelihoods. The initiative supports Freetown’s goal of creating 120,000 good green jobs for women and youth by 2028, delivering lasting benefits for people, the economy, and the environment.
Home to 1.3 million residents, Freetown has seen its population nearly double in recent years, driven largely by rural-to-urban migration as internal conflict and climate change have disrupted security and traditional livelihoods. More than a third of residents now live in informal settlements, facing overcrowding, poor sanitation, and unstable incomes—especially women, who make up most informal traders across Freetown’s 42 markets. Yet, Freetown continues to invest in all its residents, turning internal migration into an opportunity for shared prosperity and international migration into a choice.
“Rural migrants have the potential to contribute significantly to the local economy, addressing labor shortages and driving innovation in critical sectors for the green transition, such as waste management and energy,” said Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown. “But cities need more access to resources to turn this vision into reality. With support from the Global Cities Fund for Migrants and Refugees, the Climate Resilient Market Hub initiative will improve working conditions and income for those who keep our markets running every day—boosting our local economy and helping transform outward migration into a choice, not a necessity.”
This new grant builds on Freetown’s earlier success with the Global Cities Fund, which empowered migrant youth to launch green micro-enterprises using waste-collection tricycles. These businesses have cleaned public spaces, closed illegal dumpsites, and improved public health while generating income and jobs. Enterprises have already repaid half the cost of their tricycles, allowing the city to reinvest in additional micro-enterprises. The model has since attracted multilateral development bank financing to scale across the city.
Since its inception, the Global Cities Fund has mobilized nearly $30 million, exceeding its initial $25 million target by 2025 and supporting 33 city-led migration solutions that have improved the lives of over 115,000+ migrants, refugees, and local residents. Over 90 percent of grantees have gone on to unlock additional resources to sustain and expand their projects. The MMC now aims to mobilize $50 million by 2030 to expand the fund’s reach and global impact.
The Global Cities Fund’s grant to Freetown is made possible thanks to the Robert Bosch Stiftung. The fund is also backed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and the IKEA Foundation, with strategic support from the MMC’s Strategic Partners C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40 Cities), Metropolis, United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).
About the Mayors Migration Council
The Mayors Migration Council is a mayor-led coalition that accelerates ambitious global action on migration and displacement to create a world where urban migrants, displaced people, and receiving communities can thrive.
Learn more: www.mayorsmigrationcouncil.org
