An urgent intervention by Tamba Lamina, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, has brought together senior officials in an emergency effort to resolve the financial crisis currently affecting the Freetown City Council (FCC), a situation that has begun to disrupt sanitation services across the capital.
The emergency meeting, convened on Wednesday at the Ministry’s headquarters in Freetown, followed growing concerns over mounting waste in parts of the city after the council reportedly lost access to its operational funds due to administrative complications.
Authorities say the financial bottleneck emerged after the transfer of the council’s former Finance Officer, Ismeila Bah, to another local council. The transition reportedly created delays within the administrative and financial approval processes, leaving the FCC unable to access funds required for its routine operations.
The situation has had immediate consequences for the city’s sanitation system. Contractors responsible for waste collection and service providers supplying fuel for operational vehicles have allegedly gone unpaid for several months, forcing some to slow or suspend services.
With waste collection affected in several communities, concerns have grown among residents about the potential health and environmental impact if the issue remains unresolved.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Lamina stressed that the matter requires swift administrative action rather than political debate.
“This is about keeping the city functioning,” he said, emphasizing that restoring sanitation services must remain the priority. He noted that government institutions must work together to ensure that administrative delays do not interfere with essential public services.
The emergency discussions brought together key officials involved in local governance and fiscal management. Among those in attendance were senior representatives from the Local Government Service Commission, the Ministry’s leadership, as well as administrative officials from the council.
Also present were the Chief Administrator of the FCC, the current and former Finance Officers, the Acting Chairman and Executive Secretary of the Local Government Service Commission, alongside directors responsible for decentralization and fiscal oversight within the ministry.
During the deliberations, officials reviewed the financial obligations currently owed by the council, including payments due to sanitation contractors, suppliers of fuel for operational vehicles, and other service providers supporting waste management in the city.
Council administrators informed the meeting that the inability to settle outstanding bills has significantly slowed sanitation operations, as service providers have struggled to continue work without payment.
To move toward a resolution, Minister Lamina instructed the council’s administrative leadership to immediately compile a comprehensive financial report detailing all outstanding obligations. The document is expected to include arrears owed to contractors, sanitation workers, and utility providers.
Once completed, the report will be submitted to the Ministry of Finance to facilitate the necessary administrative procedures required for the council to regain access to its operational funds.
Participants at the meeting agreed that urgent coordination between government institutions is needed to stabilize the council’s finances and restore essential services across the city.
Officials say efforts are now underway to fast-track the administrative processes so that sanitation contractors can resume full operations and waste management activities can return to normal.
Minister Lamina assured stakeholders that the government remains committed to resolving the impasse quickly to ensure the Freetown City Council can continue fulfilling its mandate of delivering vital services to residents of Freetown.