The African Union Commission (AUC) is conducting baseline studies across its member states to map current emission levels and identify major sources of air pollution.
It is focusing particularly on transport systems and rapidly growing urban areas, and guide practical measures to reduce pollution.
Dr Samuel Ogallah, the Climate Change Coordinator at the AUC, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview at the weekend that the studies formed a critical foundation for the Africa Clean Air Programme, which aims to support countries to design tailored emission reduction strategies rather than adopt a one-size-fits-all approach.
He said African cities were facing increasing air pollution linked to ageing vehicle fleets, traffic congestion, open burning, and expanding industrial activity, with serious consequences for public health.
“Each country has different emission levels and sources. These studies help us to understand where we are, what is driving pollution, and what practical steps each country can take,” Dr Ogallah said.
The baseline assessments, he said, would enable governments to benchmark progress over time, strengthen air quality monitoring, and integrate air pollution control into transport planning, urban development, and public health policies.
Dr Ogallah noted that air pollution was closely linked to climate change, as many pollutants were also greenhouse gases, compounding health and environmental risks.
“Air pollution is a silent killer. It contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and places additional pressure on already stretched health systems,” he noted.
He said the Africa Clean Air Programme was being implemented in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, working directly with member states to build technical capacity and mobilise support.
Dr Ogallah described Africa as one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change impacts, despite contributing the least to global emissions, and called for stronger international support to help countries meet their climate and clean air goals.
“If we solve the problem of climate change and air pollution in Africa, we solve it globally,” he said, urging developed countries to honour commitments to support Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Without urgent action, climate-related disasters and worsening air quality could undermine development gains in African cities.
“The African Union Commission cannot do this alone. We need partnerships, solidarity, and concrete action to protect the health of our people and the future of our cities,” Dr Ogallah said.
The recent release of the State of the Global Air report
In 2019, air pollution was the second leading risk factor for death across Africa after malnutrition.
In contrast, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene was the fourth largest risk factor for deaths. This large, populous, and dynamic continent is home to five of the world’s 10 most heavily polluted countries in terms of ambient fine particulate matter.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 75 per cent of the population relies on burning solid fuels such as coal, wood, charcoal, and dung for cooking, thus exposing over 800 million people to high concentrations of harmful pollutants at home every day.
Air pollution exposures from household use of solid fuels and fossil fuel sources combine with demographic and other shifts affecting the underlying health of the population.
This causes uneven impacts across countries in a region where rates of chronic (i.e., long-term), noncommunicable conditions including heart disease and diabetes are rapidly rising in relation to the burdens imposed by communicable diseases such as diarrhoea, lower respiratory tract infections, and malaria.
The report said in Niger and Somalia, exposure to air pollution had been estimated to contribute to more than three years of loss in life expectancy.
In Egypt, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, and South Africa the combined annual cost of health damages from tiny particles harmful to the body exposure is more than $5.4 billion.
Source: GNA
