In Africa, urban outdoor air pollutionis responsible for an estimated 49,000 premature deathsannually with indoor use of solid fuels being responsiblefor eight times this value, the main burden being borne bySub Saharan African countries. Air pollution, outdoor andindoor, affects the health and life chances of millions ofpeople in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA)every day. There is a linkbetween air pollution and poverty since poor people areexposed to higher concentrations of air pollutants and tendto suffer disproportionately from the effects ofdeteriorating air quality (AQ). Children in cities exposedto high concentrations of air pollutants will more oftendevelop respiratory ailments which prevent them fromdeveloping and learning well. As a consequence they willsuffer in adult life from low levels of qualifications andskills. The implication of poorly educated children is notonly a reduction of quality of their lives but also anobstacle for the economic development of a country as awhole. Rapid urbanization means increase in motorization andeconomic activity which in turn leads to increased airpollution if countermeasures are not taken. In view theselinkages addressing urban AQ in SSA is particularlyimportant. Air pollution in Sub Saharan cities appears to beon the rise with respect to many key pollutants. In somecities where monitoring has been performed levels of airpollution exceed World Health Organization recommendedguidelines. The main cause of urban air pollution is the useof fossil fuels in transport, power generation, industry anddomestic sectors. In addition, the burning of firewood,agricultural and animal waste also contributes to pollutionlevels. Pollutant emissions have direct and indirect effectswith a wide range of impacts on human health, ecosystems,agriculture and materials. There is a growing need todetermine the state of urban AQ and the challenges posed tosolve it and identify the most effective measures to protecthuman health and the environment. Learning from experienceand successes in urban AQ management (AQM) from othercountries can assists in the formulation and implementationof strategies to achieve better AQ in Sub Saharan Africa.This report compiles the information provided by the25countries in a harmonized way and gives an in-depth reviewof AQ in SSA with AQ profile of each country, presenting thecountry's main current urban AQ issues, emissionsstandards, ongoing projects, lessons learned from good/badpractices. It was attempted to compile this information alsofor additional SSA countries from available publications andinternet sources.
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