Freetown on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, became the second African capital to back the call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, joining cities on every continent that are demanding a global just transition away from fossil fuels to an equitable renewable-powered future. Sierra Leone’s capital now joins over 120 cities and subnational governments that have formally endorsed the Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal.
After implementing its first climate action strategy and appointing Africa’s first heat officer to address its high climate vulnerability, Freetown has apparently reaffirmed its climate leadership by becoming the second major African city to join the call for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, a new legal mechanism that would enable a fair phase out of fossil fuels, with the wealthiest countries leading the way, and facilitate finance and technology transfers for an equitable energy transition, economic diversification and alternative development pathways.
Mayor of Freetown and C40 Cities Co-Chair, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, said: “While COP28 was a crucial step in acknowledging the necessity of transitioning away from fossil fuels, this decision was not reaffirmed at COP29. We find ourselves at a crossroads: one path leads to the preservation of humanity, while the other leads to its annihilation. It is imperative that we take bold and decisive action like the Fossil Fuel Treaty to end our dependence on fossil fuels and harness our unbridled renewable energy potential.
“African cities can play a key role in this fight since our urban centres are not just hubs of economic activity; they are also epicentres of innovation. Together, we can have a global impact, and Freetown stands ready to inspire and collaborate with cities across the African continent and beyond to build a just transition away from deadly fossil fuels to a prosperous renewable future.”
Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, said: “Freetown’s decision to support the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is a bold and crucial step in the fight for climate justice. This move sends a clear message to the fossil fuel industry, which has long tried to entrench its power, particularly in Africa, that the world’s major cities are fully committed to the phaseout of fossil fuels. Cities like London, under Mayor Khan, have already led the charge in backing this treaty, and now Freetown, with Mayor Aki-Sawyerr at the helm, is showing that African cities will be at the forefront of the movement toward a just and equitable energy future. The time is now long overdue for the wealthiest nations to take responsibility for phasing out fossil fuels, ending subsidies to polluting industries, and working with cities, especially those in the Global South, to build a fairer and greener future.”
Karim Bah, a social justice activist and convener of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty civil society campaign in Sierra Leone, said: “Freetown is one of the oldest modern cities in Africa and played a historic role in the abolition of slavery. It is rather fitting that Freetown is among the first in Africa to answer to the call of activists for the abolition of fossil fuels today by endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Global support for the Fossil Fuel Treaty proposal from cities and national governments is only growing stronger. With this recent endorsement from Mayor of Freetown Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr who was elected co-chair of C40 Cities in 2023, alongside Mayor Sadiq Khan, who backed the proposal in 2022, the leadership of the C40 Cities global network of mayors has now formally united their voices behind the urgent need for a Fossil Fuel Treaty.
“In the leadup to CO28, in their C40 Letter to Heads of State, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr and Mayor Khan, called on governments to gradually end the production of oil, gas and coal, insisting that these three substances are not only the main cause of climate disruption but also of deep associated injustices, both at city and global levels. Following COP29, C40 Cities continues to call for a “clear path for cities to lead a just transition to a sustainable future.”
Lucas Snaije, Cities & Subnational Campaign Coordinator at the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Freetown as the second African capital to join our subnational cohort in 2024. Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr has firmly positioned Sierra Leone’s capital as a climate leader both locally, through innovative governance such as the appointment of Africa’s first Chief Heat Officer, and globally, as co-chair of C40 Cities alongside London Mayor Sadiq Khan. This endorsement is a resounding call for cities across Africa, the Global South, and the world, to follow suit.”
Seble Samuel, Head of Africa Campaigns and Advocacy at the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, stated: “The fossil fuel industry has hypnotised Africa for decades, promising fortunes while syphoning profits out of the continent and powering foreign nations with our coal, oil and gas, all the while leaving 600 million Africans in the dark. All this takes place on the continent with the highest renewable energy potential on Earth. Freetown has seen through this fossil fuelled hypocrisy and sets the tone for a new future for the continent that is powered by the abundant energy of the sun, water and wind.”
Freetown’s decision has been described as courageous and one that sends a strong message to international leaders who want to hook Africa to oil and gas while the world transitions to renewable energy. The continent has been the target of fossil fuel extraction by the Global North, with the majority of the fossil fuel extraction destined for export to foreign markets.
Civil society organisations have risen against this neocolonial model in which wealthy countries have built their riches by exploiting the continent’s reserves, all while exacerbating Africa’s structural inequalities by increasing the continent’s fossil fuel dependence that has failed to power its people by design.
Fadhel Kaboub, Senior Advisor at Power Shift Africa and member of the Independent Expert Group on Just Transition and Development, stated: “It is imperative that governments prioritise the negotiation of a global framework to support and finance Africa’s – and the world’s – transition to renewable energy. Instead of perpetuating a plan that creates fossil fuel dependence, we must activate and operationalise Agenda 2063 in a tangible manner.
“This entails establishing strategic partnerships on terms that are favourable to Africa’s interests, ensuring that our continent can lead in green industrialisation and achieve the sustainable development goals while safeguarding the health of our planet. It is time for African countries to join the growing bloc of nations already supporting a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
The push for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty is spearheaded by a bloc of 14 Global South nations – including two fossil fuel producers – from the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. The global network behind the proposal is now formed by 120 cities and subnational governments including Sydney, Kolkata, Lima, Vancouver, Belém, London, Warsaw, Lilongwe, and the State of California, over 3500 organisations and institutions including the European Parliament, 3000+ scientists and academics, 101 Nobel laureates, the World Health Organisation and hundreds of health professionals, a Vatican Cardinal and thousands of religious institutions, 10 Amazonian Indigenous nations, thousands of youth activists, more than 800 Parliamentarians across the world and hundreds of trade unions representing over 30 million workers in more than 150 countries.
