Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (middle), who delivered the keynote address. She praised PCC’s leadership and urged deeper cooperation among African cities facing shared climate vulnerabilities./R-Paynesville City Mayor Robert S. Bestman.
MONROVIA – The Paynesville City Corporation has officially launched its first-ever Climate Action Plan (PCAP), an initiative that outlines the city’s commitment to tackling the growing climate crisis through bold, community-focused action.
The launch brought together a wide array of local, national, and international stakeholders, including Freetown Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, who delivered the keynote address. She praised PCC’s leadership and urged deeper cooperation among African cities facing shared climate vulnerabilities.
“Liberia is not just our neighbor, it often feels like a second home,” Aki-Sawyerr said. “Our contexts are similar, and our challenges are shared. What Paynesville is doing today is not symbolic—it is essential.”
Referencing the 2017 Freetown landslide that claimed over 1,000 lives, Aki-Sawyerr said, “That tragedy is not theoretical—it’s lived experience. Climate change is not coming; it is here. And this plan is a powerful local response.”
Aki-Sawyerr, also Co-Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, highlighted the importance of local solutions to global problems and noted the PCAP’s alignment with international targets to cut carbon emissions and promote environmental justice.
According to PCC, the Climate Action Plan sets out goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Key priorities include tree planting, waste management reform, improved drainage systems, solar energy integration, and construction of climate-resilient infrastructure.
The plan, developed through multi-stakeholder consultations, was inspired in part by a recent city-to-city engagement during the Africa Mayors’ Climate Conference in Freetown.
At the event, Paynesville City Mayor Robert S. Bestman II reaffirmed the Corporation’s commitment to implementation.
“This Climate Action Plan will not be treated like a document only on the shelves,” Mayor Bestman said. “We will make sure every action is implemented to the fullest.”
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) welcomed the initiative as a key step in localizing Liberia’s national climate goals. EPA Executive Director Dr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo described the PCAP as a potential model for other cities across the country.
“This is what it means to localize global climate goals,” Dr. Urey noted. “It’s not just about technology—it’s about people, policy, partnerships, and political will.”
The EPA said it intends to collaborate with PCC in mobilizing climate financing, enhancing monitoring systems, and replicating effective practices in other municipalities, including Kakata, Gbanga, Buchanan, and Tubmanburg.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of civil society organizations, religious groups, youth coalitions, and development partners including UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), reflecting broad support for the city’s environmental agenda.
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr used the occasion to call for greater decentralization of authority to local governments in West Africa. “Planning and building permits must be devolved to city councils,” she said. “Local leaders need access to revenues to deliver results.”
With the Climate Action Plan now formally launched, PCC has called on residents, institutions, and partners to play an active role in realizing its objectives. The Corporation framed the plan as a collective mission to build a greener, safer, and more climate-resilient Paynesville for future generations.
