One of West Africa’s oldest markets – Freetown’s King Jimmy getting more than a facelift

Sierra Leone Telegraph: 20 August 2026:

One of West Africa’s oldest and historic markets established during the slave trade, which saw hundreds of thousands – if not millions of Africans, shipped across the ocean to America to work on plantations, is to be rebuilt into a modern indoor market.

The Freetown King Jimmy market which bore witness to the buying, selling and shipping of slaves from Sierra Leone, has been a central market for women selling a range of wares from fish to textiles, since the end of the slave trade.

But after centuries of poor maintenance, King Jimmy has become unfit for market trading, posing serious health and safety risks to traders as well as visitors.

That, is all about to change as the Mayor of Freetown, Yvonne Aki – Sawyerr is set to transform King Jimmy into an ultra-modern market, thats is fit for the twenty-first century.

Speaking about plans to reconstruct King Jimmy, Mayor Aki-Sawyerr said yesterday: “ Today was phenomenal. I had the distinct pleasure of launching the construction of the King Jimmy Market as a core component of the Strengthening Urban Governance and Local Economic Development (SURGE) Project.

“King Jimmy Market, in the heart of Freetown’s Central Business District, is one of our oldest markets and is of considerable historical significance being adjacent to the De Ruyter Stone, and to the “slave steps and manacles” that continue to tell a story, centuries after the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.

“I am truly excited today because like all trading spaces, King Jimmy is more than a market, it is in reality a place where livelihoods are built, families are supported and dreams are made possible.

“I extend my sincere appreciation to the European Union in Sierra Leone, for supporting the project with €479,964, while Freetown City Council (FCC) contributes €25,282.

“I also thank my Deputy Mayor, Kweku Lisk Esq., the Market Committee, Councillors and all FCC staff whose commitment and support have brought us to this important milestone.”