Delegates following proceedings during the Clean Air Forum at Safaripark Hotel, Nairobi on July 17, 2025
African cities are taking decisive action to address air pollution—a silent killer that disproportionately harms children and low-income communities.
The recent deployment of over 600 air quality monitors across the continent signals a turning point in the fight for environmental health and urban equity.
These sensors—now active in countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Burundi, Mozambique, and Senegal—are equipping cities with critical, real-time data on air pollution levels.
For the first time in many regions, communities, policymakers, and health systems have access to localized information that can guide urgent interventions.
But the effort is about more than technology—it’s a social investment with implications for healthcare, education, and economic productivity.
Massive Rollout of Air Quality Monitors in African Cities
In 2025, African governments and their partners launched more than 600 air quality monitoring devices in urban centers.
Nairobi alone is deploying 50 sensors, many of which are already active in densely populated neighbourhoods, traffic corridors, hospitals, and schools.
These monitors are enabling governments to pinpoint pollution hotspots and make real-time, data-driven decisions.
The initiative is part of a broader partnership between African cities and global organizations, including C40 Cities, Clean Air Fund, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, under the Breath Cities programme.
Nairobi’s government has installed 39 monitors to date, and several other urban areas and cities, including Homa Bay and Kampala, have followed suit with deployments targeting public spaces, markets, and high-traffic zones.
Maureen Njeri, Nairobi County’s Green Nairobi Executive, referred to the sensors as “eyes and ears in the atmosphere,” emphasizing that the data will inform policies on traffic management, waste handling, housing, and health.
Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria emphasized the broader stakes: “Air pollution affects our health, our economy, and the well-being of our most vulnerable citizens.” The officials spoke on July 16, 2015, during the Clean Air Forum at the Safaripark Hotel in Nairobi.
Children on the Frontlines of Air Pollution
The scale of the crisis is most visible in its impact on children. Young people in Nairobi and other rapidly growing African cities face an elevated risk of respiratory diseases due to prolonged exposure to particulate matter from vehicles, waste burning, dust, and indoor cooking smoke.
Medical professionals report rising cases of asthma, bronchitis, and chronic coughing among children living in informal settlements and near busy roads.
Children breathe more air per unit of body weight than adults, making them more susceptible to air toxins that interfere with lung development, brain function, and immunity.
Studies show that children living in areas like Mukuru and Mathare, where biomass fuels are commonly used and waste is often openly burned, have significantly lower lung function compared to peers in better-ventilated residential areas.
Many of these children also attend schools near roads and dumpsites, compounding their daily exposure.
Respiratory specialists warn that the long-term consequences extend beyond coughing and wheezing.
There is emerging evidence that pollution exposure in early childhood may cause DNA damage with effects that persist across a lifetime, and possibly into future generations.
Transforming Data into Social Investment
While monitoring marks an important step, it is only the beginning.
The ultimate goal is to use air quality data to direct resources toward health-protective interventions in low-income and high-risk communities.
Nairobi’s strategy integrates sensor findings into broader planning efforts to improve urban living conditions.
This includes targeted investments in:
Clean cooking energy – Transitioning homes from charcoal and firewood to LPG or electric stoves.
Public transport reform – Promoting non-motorized transport, reducing vehicular emissions, and electrifying bus fleets.
Waste management – Closing illegal dumpsites, reducing open burning, and exploring waste-to-energy technologies.
Urban greening – Planting trees and establishing green belts to help absorb pollutants and cool dense settlements.
These interventions can yield measurable health and economic benefits.
Projections suggest that reducing PM2.5 concentrations by 30 percent in Nairobi could prevent thousands of hospital visits, save lives, and reduce the economic burden of pollution-related illness by billions of shillings over the next decade.
Equity and Environmental Justice at the Core
The expansion of air quality monitoring also highlights long-standing disparities in exposure to pollution.
In most cities, low-income neighbourhoods—especially informal settlements—are located near industrial zones, landfills, or congested roads.
These communities often lack access to clean energy, healthcare, or proper waste disposal, making them doubly vulnerable.
Children, women, and the elderly in these areas face a daily health burden that rarely makes headlines but leaves deep and lasting scars.
Urban planners and policymakers are increasingly recognizing that clean air is not just an environmental issue—it is a question of justice.
In response, Nairobi’s network of monitors has been deliberately placed in locations that reflect social vulnerability.
Sensors installed near schools, markets, and public clinics allow officials to prioritize interventions where they’re needed most, ensuring that the benefits of clean air are not limited to wealthier areas.
Policy Reform Anchored in Evidence
To support sustained action, several African cities are embedding air quality data into legislation and policy frameworks.
Nairobi’s air quality efforts are backed by the Nairobi City County Air Quality Act of 2022, which mandates monitoring, public reporting, and coordinated responses across departments.
Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is also working to align national standards with WHO guidelines.
Officials emphasize the need for greater public awareness, private sector engagement, and investment in clean technology.
In Uganda, a new AI-powered monitoring system is helping the government identify high-risk zones, track pollution sources in real time, and develop early warning systems.
These tools are driving shifts in transport routes, school safety planning, and public education campaigns.
The Economic Case for Clean Air
The consequences of inaction are severe. Across sub-Saharan Africa, pollution-related deaths are climbing, estimated at over 294,000 annually.
The economic toll includes rising healthcare costs, lost labor productivity, school absenteeism, and long-term cognitive damage.
In Nairobi, unchecked air pollution could cost the economy trillions of shillings by 2040.
On the other hand, investing in air quality monitoring, cleaner fuels, efficient transport, and greener infrastructure offers a path to healthier communities and a stronger workforce.
International development agencies are increasingly recognizing air quality as a priority within climate and health portfolios.
Clean air investments align with broader goals such as achieving universal health coverage, reducing poverty, and building climate-resilient cities.
Barriers to Overcome
Despite progress, several challenges remain:
- Data accessibility – Air quality data must be shared openly with the public and integrated across government departments.
- Funding sustainability – While donor-funded projects support initial deployment, long-term maintenance, training, and system expansion need stable financing.
- Capacity constraints – Local governments require technical expertise to interpret data and apply it effectively to policy decisions.
- Behavior change – Community engagement and education are essential to shift cooking, smoking, and waste disposal practices.
A Call to Action
The deployment of hundreds of air quality monitors across Africa marks a historic milestone.
But sensors alone won’t clean the air. What matters is what governments, communities, and development partners do with the information they reveal.
Clean air is a basic human right.
By turning data into action, cities like Nairobi are showing how targeted, equitable investment in air quality can protect children’s health, reduce inequality, and promote sustainable growth.
As sensors light up real-time maps of Africa’s urban skies, the message is clear: The time to act is now, not just for cleaner air, but for a healthier, more just future
