Launch of Canairy Alert, a new program to support cities in Africa to improve their air quality forecasting and research on pollution sources

Air pollution remains a major environmental challenge with significant impacts on human health and ecosystems. Cities in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have recognized this challenge and are prepared to take policy and regulatory actions to address it. However, these cities experience several challenges, including limited air quality monitoring data, low technical capacity to take informed action toward addressing air pollution, limited access to tools to inform air quality actions, among others. As such, there is a growing demand for cost-effective equipment that can support air quality work in these cities.

Canairy Alert is a new initiative of World Resources Institute (WRI) with founding partners AirQo, AfriqAir and the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is supported by Clean Air Fund and UN Environment Programme. The project is working with participating cities in Africa to combine the AQ data of local, low-cost sensor networks with global scientific products and model to develop air quality forecasting and pollution insight tools that will enable local air quality managers to forecast pollution episodes and identify key pollution sources.  

Speakers include:

Beatriz Cardenas, WRI

Aklilu Fikreselassie, WRI

George Mwaniki, WRI

Kofi Amegah, University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Tom Grylls, Clean Air Fund

Deo Okure, Airqo

Edison Yesid Ortiz Durán, Coordinator of Integrated Air Quality Modeling Systems at the Ministry of Environment – Bogotá City

Alex Ndyabakira, Epidemiologist, Directorate of Public Health and Environment, Kampala Capital City Authority

Larry Wambua, Minister of Environment, Energy, Water and Sanitation, Nairobi City County