Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr

Yvonne Denise Aki-Sawyerr (née Morgan) was born on 7 January 1968 in Freetown, in the British Dominion of Sierra Leone (present day Sierra Leone). She is a member of Sierra Leone's Creole ethnic group. She attended St. Joseph's Secondary School in Freetown where she was head girl and Loreto House Captain. Aki-Sawyerr graduated with honours from Fourah Bay College in 1988 where she earned a bachelor's degree in Economics. At university, she was active with AIESEC (the International Association of Students in Economics and Management) and she became the first African on AIESEC's Brussels-based International Exchange Committee in 1988. She earned a master's degree in International Relations and Politics of the World Economy at the London School of Economics and Political Science. In 1993, she received her certification from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. ==Career==

Private sector Mayor Aki-Sawyerr is a Chartered Accountant, and has a private sector experience of over 25 years in roles such as providing strategic planning, project management, risk management, corporate governance and regulatory consulting services to high profile clients in the UK financial services industry. She began working for professional services firm Arthur Andersen in 1990. She became the Investment Director of IDEA (Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award) in 2009, in which she was tasked for raising international finance to fund projects, and the management of local stakeholder groups. In January 2023, Aki-Sawyerr is set to run for another term in the June 2023 elections. ==Personal life==

Aki-Sawyerr is married and has two children. ==Awards and honours==

Aki-Sawyerr was recognized for her work during Sierra Leone's Ebola crisis with an Ebola Gold Medal by then president of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma in December 2015. The documentary follows her work as mayor, and her battle to be re-elected. Aki-Sawyerr was on the list of the BBC's 100 Women (BBC) announced on 23 November 2020. In February 2021, Time Magazine named her as one of Time's "100 Next" honorees. In 2021, Aki-Sawyerr was selected as a Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst. As part of the program, she attended the annual New Economy Forum held in Singapore, and the Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst Retreat that same year. ==References==