Panelists during the Air Quality Forum at Safaripark Hotel in Nairobi on July 16, 2025.
Air pollution is a silent crisis choking Africa’s cities—an invisible force undermining health, stalling development, and deepening inequality.
Often undetected until its effects are severe, this threat is being met with a growing wave of African-led data, innovation, and policy action.
Across the continent, from Kampala to Nairobi and Lagos, city governments, scientists, and community advocates are coalescing around a shared goal: to make clean air a reality.
Why Measurement Matters
“You can’t manage what you haven’t measured,” said Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, Chair of Computer Science at Makerere University in Uganda.
His team leads AirQo, a homegrown initiative deploying Africa’s largest low-cost air quality monitoring network. The logic is simple: without data, there is no visibility; without visibility, no accountability.
Air pollution is especially dangerous because it’s often imperceptible. “Air is invisible. By the time you realise it’s polluted, your lungs are already complaining,” Bainomugisha warned.
In Nairobi, more than 30 sensors—installed with AirQo’s support—are exposing stark inequalities.
Leafy suburbs like Gigiri enjoy safer air, while heavily congested areas near the Central Business District routinely register hazardous levels.
This hyperlocal data is freely accessible via the Nairobi City County website and the AirQo app, arming both citizens and policymakers with real-time evidence.
But data is only the first step. “Monitoring gives us power,” said Bainomugisha. “But visibility must lead to accountability.”
The Biggest Polluters
Dr. George Mwaniki, Kenya Country Director at the World Resources Institute (WRI), is unequivocal about the biggest culprit: transport.
“The old cars, low-grade fuel, and smoky motorcycles are choking our cities,” he said.
But another, more horrifying source is often overlooked: waste burning.
“When we conducted air quality assessments, we discovered that a significant portion of what’s burned includes hospital waste—pharmaceuticals, surgical gloves, even body parts,” Mwaniki revealed.
This transforms an environmental concern into a full-blown public health emergency.
In response, Nairobi City County, in collaboration with WRI and UNEP, is developing a new hospital waste management strategy.
If successful, it could become a model for other African cities grappling with unregulated incineration.
Nairobi’s Policy Experiment
Kenya has taken major policy strides in recent years. The country updated its national air quality regulations in 2023, building on a 2014 framework.
At the city level, Nairobi has passed its own Air Quality Act, installed 36 monitoring stations, and is now finalizing enforcement protocols.
Dr. Mwaniki believes Nairobi’s progress is replicable: “If it works in Nairobi—arguably the most complex city—we can replicate it in Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru.”
The integration of shared data systems, localized policy, and citizen engagement could offer a blueprint for national action—if other counties and cities are empowered to follow through.
Culture Change and Cross-Border Realities
AirQo’s success story began in Kampala and has since expanded to Lagos, Accra, and Antananarivo. Uganda’s centralized governance helped facilitate national air quality standards. But legislation alone isn’t enough.
“We must build a culture where clean air is as valued as clean food,” said Prof. Bainomugisha. “Would you knowingly eat contaminated food? Then why breathe contaminated air?”
AirQo sensors are themselves a symbol of African adaptation and resilience, designed to withstand power cuts, floods, dust, and even theft.
With support from Google.org and the Clean Air Fund, the project has scaled across multiple urban centres, sparking similar initiatives continent-wide.
But air pollution doesn’t recognize borders. “Clean air doesn’t respect borders,” Bainomugisha reminded.
“Uganda could be polluting, and Kenya could be suffering. Nigeria’s emissions can affect the Sahel.”
This underscores the need for a regional response—harmonizing regulations, sharing data, and fostering trust across nations. “It’s not enough for one country to clean its air. We must all act together.”
The Human Cost—and Responsibility
At its core, the fight for clean air is a human one. “An adult breathes 20,000 times a day,” Bainomugisha noted. “Every breath is like a meal. Would you eat something you didn’t know was safe?”
This analogy underscores the urgency of public engagement. Clean air is not just a technical issue—it’s a social one, requiring everyone from artists to faith leaders to help mobilize communities.
“We must inform, not alarm,” he said. “Tell people how bad the air is—but also what they can do about it.”
Even with scientific breakthroughs and cleaner fuels—such as Kenya’s recent transition to low-sulphur diesel—progress is uneven.
Implementation often lags behind ambition, and Africa’s cities are growing faster than policy and infrastructure can keep up.
A Shared Path Forward
The technologies and policies exist. The data is increasingly available. What’s needed now is action—sustained, coordinated, and bold. Long-term funding remains a challenge, even for proven projects like AirQo.
“Technology without funding doesn’t scale,” Bainomugisha cautioned.
Yet, hope is not misplaced. Events like the 2025 Clean-Air Forum are helping to galvanize cross-sectoral alliances, bringing together researchers, government officials, funders, and civil society to share insights and shape policy.
These platforms remind us that the pursuit of clean air is not only possible but already underway in pockets across Africa.
What remains is to turn these scattered victories into a continental shift, because clean air is not a privilege. It is a right. And it cannot wait.
