Speaker
Description
Air pollution is a major but under-characterized environmental health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where rapid urbanization and industrial growth are intensifying exposure risks. Despite its significance, systematic evaluations of air quality research across the region remain limited.
We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CrossRef for studies published between 2010 and 2024. Title search strings such as (“Air Pollution” OR “Air Quality”) AND (“Sub-Saharan Africa”) were used in the search. After applying predefined eligibility criteria, 20 studies out of 206 identified were included for detailed analysis. We observed that research activities were unevenly distributed, with Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania accounting for most publications, leaving large areas of SSA underrepresented. Health-related studies, particularly on respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes dominated, reflecting the severe disease burden. Monitoring approaches increasingly employed low-cost sensors and satellite-derived data, but issues with calibration, accuracy, and long-term coverage persisted. Study designs spanned field measurements, epidemiological surveys, remote sensing, statistical modeling, and sensor validation. Key gaps included insufficient data on long-term health outcomes, household exposures, socioeconomic and environmental determinants, and lack of effective policy interventions. Structural challenges such as weak monitoring infrastructure, inconsistent data collection, and poor policy enforcement further constrained progress. Air quality research in SSA is growing but remains fragmented, geographically imbalanced, and methodologically constrained. Strengthening monitoring networks, expanding research on household pollution and social determinants, and fostering regional and international collaborations are critical to advancing evidence-based policy. Addressing air pollution in SSA requires coordinated, multidisciplinary approaches to reduce its health burden and support sustainable environmental management.