African air quality: framework for a proactive observing and modeling strategy

Rapid urbanization is expected to exacerbate air pollution in Africa. Credit: Pixabay

The public health threat of air pollution in Africa, which already results in 1.1 million premature deaths annually, is expected to intensify under rapid urbanization and population growth. To develop strategies for improving air quality monitoring and research in East Africa, scientists from around the world convened for workshops virtually in 2021 and in-person in Kigali, Rwanda in 2023. The Climate Program Office’s Atmospheric Chemistry, Carbon Cycle and Climate (AC4) program partially supported the Kigali workshop. Local decision-makers and international scientists and experts participated in the workshop. Shiv Das from the AC4 Program and Steven Brown from the Chemical Science Laboratory (CSL) represented NOAA. They are included in the photo above showing the attendees of the Kigali workshop.