Air air pollution is changing into certainly one of Africa’s largest public well being threats. From automotive exhaust and mud to smoke from burning waste and cooking fuels, tens of millions of individuals throughout the continent breathe polluted air day by day.
However earlier than nations can remedy the issue, they have to first measure it correctly.
This stays a serious problem in lots of African nations as most air high quality sensors are manufactured outdoors the continent. Moreover, many businesses lack enough experience to deploy sensors, purchase knowledge, and correctly interpret the data collected.
Towards this backdrop, the West African Atmospheric Sensor Analysis and Coaching Facility (Afri-SET) on the College of Ghana organized a four-day workshop on air high quality knowledge, atmospheric sensors, and computational instruments in West Africa from Might 18 to Might 21, 2026.
The workshop introduced collectively researchers, college students, coverage makers, civil servants, NGOs, and media personnel from throughout West Africa, each bodily in Accra and on-line.
Primarily based within the college’s Division of Physics, Afri-SET was established to judge low-cost air high quality sensors and check how they carry out in Africa’s climate and air pollution circumstances.
Talking on the workshop, Desmond Appiah, nation chief for the Clear Air Fund in Ghana, mentioned the mission was essential as a result of many sensors developed abroad might not work the identical manner in Africa.
“A number of air high quality sensors have been developed around the globe, however most of them have not actually had the chance to be evaluated in contexts like Ghana or West Africa, for instance. That is the place Afri-SET’s work is so essential,” he mentioned.
He defined that climate circumstances resembling warmth and humidity can have an effect on the operation of sensors in African nations.
“For instance, adjustments in temperature. If a sensor was developed in North America, you’d count on it to work a lot better in a North American context. However whenever you get right into a Ghanaian or West African context, the readings could also be affected,” he added.
Appiah additionally warned that air air pollution knowledge assortment throughout Africa stays very low.
“One, as a result of the extent of air high quality knowledge assortment in Africa could be very low. And two, as a result of the extent of information assortment is so low that the data that coverage makers can perceive will not be actually stepping into the palms of coverage makers within the states,” he mentioned.
Dr Alison Felix-Hughes, Head of the Division of Physics on the College of Ghana and Afri-SET Facility Supervisor, mentioned the workshop targeted on constructing technical capability throughout the sub-region.
“Afri-SET, the Air High quality Sensor Analysis and Coaching Facility within the Division of Physics, was established to judge low-cost air high quality sensors and see how effectively they carry out in life like African environments,” he defined.
Dr Hughes mentioned most sensors had been examined in Europe and North America earlier than being dropped at Africa, regardless that the air pollution sources and climate circumstances had been completely different.
“Our air pollution sources are typically a little bit completely different than what’s occurring in Europe or America, and the climate circumstances are completely different,” he mentioned.
He added that the coaching is not only about utilizing the sensors, but additionally about understanding the info they generate.
“We would like them to know how these sensors work. And we need to construct capability. The information that comes from these sensors, how do you analyze it? How do you make sense of the info? How do you visualize it?” he mentioned.
In keeping with Dr. Hughes, this system is designed as a “practice the coach” mannequin, so contributors can return to their dwelling nations to coach others.
“So we herald individuals from throughout West Africa and from Ghana, and we would like them to have the ability to return to the assorted amenities and practice others,” he added.
In a speech learn on behalf of the Chief Government Officer of the Environmental Safety Company, Professor Nana Ama Brown-Kurtse described the air air pollution state of affairs in Ghana as alarming.
“The state of affairs in Ghana is equally worrying and shouldn’t be taken without any consideration,” the assertion mentioned.
In keeping with the EPA, whereas monitoring efforts present that particulate matter concentrations exceed nationwide air high quality requirements in most monitoring areas, “nearly your complete inhabitants in each city and rural areas is uncovered to particulate matter concentrations that exceed World Well being Group tips.”
The assertion additional added that the World Well being Group estimated in 2017 that roughly 28,000 preventable deaths in Ghana every year are attributable to air air pollution.
“Within the Accra metropolitan space alone, air air pollution induced roughly 2,800 untimely deaths in 2015, and this determine is projected to rise to 4,600 by 2030 except pressing interventions are applied,” the assertion added.
“In Ghana, the financial burden related to air air pollution is estimated at $2.5 billion, roughly 4.5% of gross home product,” the assertion mentioned, citing the World Financial institution’s 2020 Nation Evaluation Report.
The EPA mentioned that regardless of the challenges, Ghana has made progress in air high quality administration, together with the publication of the Air High quality Administration Rules 2025 LI2507 and the event of the Ghana Air High quality Portal, which offers real-time air high quality knowledge to researchers, college students, NGOs and most people.
The workshop included displays from Dr. Frank Out Larbi on city air high quality monitoring, Dr. Irene Opoku Ntim on the hidden dangers of radon, and Professor Rafael Arc on the well being results of air air pollution. Professor Dan Westervelt of Columbia College taught contributors air high quality sampling strategies. Mathias Borketey introduced on knowledge preprocessing and visualization utilizing R. Dr. Cosmos Wemegah from the School of Power and Pure Sources first taught contributors about knowledge acquisition utilizing OpenAQ and Purple Air APIs, after which mentioned distant sensing of air air pollution from satellites. James Nimo from the College at Albany additionally spoke about supply allocation and correction and calibration fashions utilizing Python.
This story is a collaboration with New Narratives. Funding was supplied by the Clear Air Fund, which had no say within the content material of the story.
