March, 2023
Air quality experts convene to discuss air pollution and health in East Africa
Cover photo: Participants at the workshop (Credit: HEI)
Experts on air pollution across East Africa have gathered in Nairobi, Kenya for a high-level meeting to discuss strategies for strengthening expertise on air pollution and health in the region. The workshop brought together an extensive range of stakeholders across East Africa including Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, in addition to other stakeholder interests from South Africa, India, the U.K, and U.S.A. The stakeholders represented included national and regional non-profit groups and bi- and multi-lateral organizations, healthcare practitioners, professional societies, ministries, and research institutes, among others.
The goals of the workshop were twofold: 1) ‘ reviewing the current data and evidence on air quality and associated health effects in the region and their interlinkage to current policy debate and actions’, and 2) concrete strategies for collaboration and strengthening technical expertise on air pollution and health in East Africa’.
At the meeting, the experts discussed the emerging evidence on air pollution and health in the region, and the implications for policy and action. My talk particularly focused on ‘advances in adapting low-cost sensors for sustainable air quality monitoring and evidence-informed action in African cities’ based on experiences from AirQo’. One of the meeting outcomes was consensus on strategies for collaboration and strengthening technical expertise on air pollution and health in East Africa. Targeted interventions facilitated by collecting local air quality data was identified as a vital first step towards countering the high levels of air pollution as well as significant health impacts from both outdoor and household air pollution.
The 3-day workshop was convened by the Health Effects Institute, in partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute-Africa Centre (SEI Africa), World Resources Institute (WRI Africa), Eastern Africa GEO Health Hub (Kenya), and AirQo, organized the workshop held at the Sarova Panafric Hotel, Nairobi.
The Workshop resources can be accessed through the HEI Website.