Let Nairobi meeting lead to better air quality worldwide

Africa’s battle for clean air is a real and urgent fight for public health, climate resilience, and economic survival—one that is already costing the continent countless lives and livelihoods. As leaders, scientists, activists, and development partners gather in Nairobi from July 15–17 for the CLEAN-Air Forum 2025, the stakes could not be higher. This forum must break from the cycle of theoretical talks and pilot more projects. It must chart a path toward scalable, financed, and community-driven solutions for the world’s most neglected environmental crisis: air pollution.

Air pollution is the second largest risk factor for death globally, killing 8.1 million people in 2021 alone, with children under five facing the sharpest blow. In parts of Africa and South Asia, nearly 30 per cent of infant deaths in the first month of life are linked to toxic air. Despite this, only about 5 per cent of global outdoor air quality funding reaches Africa —a continent home to half of the world’s top ten most polluted countries.

This glaring disconnect is a failure of international development priorities. While billions are pledged for climate action, only 1 per cent of international development finance ($17.3 billion over six years) has targeted air quality directly. Yet the solutions for clean air—renewable energy, better urban planning, improved waste management, and cleaner transportation—are the same solutions needed for climate resilience. For this reason, then, CLEAN-Air Forum 2025 must be the moment when funders, governments, and communities realize this synergy and act on it.

The CLEAN-Air Forums in Kampala (2023) and Lagos (2024) made important strides. They brought together policymakers from 34 countries, spotlighted African leadership, and launched important initiatives like the African Clean Air Programme. But good intentions alone will not clear Africa’s skies. Nairobi 2025 must advance the agenda in three critical ways.

First, the forum must prioritize evidence-informed action. Many African nations still lack real-time air quality monitoring systems. Having participated in numerous air quality forums, I have repeatedly heard concerns about the persistent data gaps. Where data does exist, it is often fragmented or inaccessible to local policymakers, hindering effective decision-making. The State of Global Air 2024 report shows 99 per cent of the global population breathes unhealthy levels of PM2.5, and in many African cities, exposure exceeds WHO’s interim targets by fourfold. Nairobi must promote open-access air quality data, driven by local capacity and citizen science, not just donor-funded pilots.

Secondly, the forum must develop practical strategies to promote the adoption of technology in African cities. Low-cost sensors, artificial intelligence, and satellite monitoring can transform air quality management in Africa. But these tools remain underutilised due to a lack of financing and technical skills. Nairobi should catalyze partnerships that localize these technologies, and encourage  homegrown innovation alongside global expertise.

Thirdly, Nairobi 2025 presents a significant opportunity to unlock sustainable finance. When analysing climate discourse in many high-level decision-making platforms, it becomes clear that air quality remains an afterthought in climate finance discourses. The Clean Air Fund's 2023 report urges multilateral development banks and donors to increase grant-based and concessional finance for clean air interventions. Nairobi 2025 should explore regional clean air funds, engage private sector partners, and ensure air pollution is mainstreamed into Africa’s Just Energy Transition and climate resilience funding streams.

The untapped power of regional partnerships

Air pollution knows no borders. Agricultural burning in one country fouls the air of its neighbours. Transport corridors, industrial zones, and waste burning contribute to regional pollution hotspots. The UNEA-6/10 resolution on regional cooperation is a strong foundation, but implementation has lagged. CLEAN-Air Forum 2025 must revitalise these commitments, setting up cross-border air quality management plans, harmonised emission standards, and shared capacity-building efforts.

What should success look like from the CLEAN-Air Forum 2025? I believe that by the end of the forum, the world should not walk away with another round of vague declarations and unrealised promises. Success must be measured by tangible outcomes that transform ambition into action. This means forging concrete, well-funded partnerships between cities and countries to implement clean air action plans that directly benefit communities. It also requires the adoption of bold regional targets to cut short-lived climate pollutants like methane and black carbon—pollutants that account for nearly 45 per cent of global warming.

Development banks, particularly the World Bank whose president has publicly prioritised clean air, must commit increased financing for air quality management across Africa. Equally important is private sector leadership, with African industries and global corporations transparently reporting and actively reducing their air pollution footprints. Finally, youth and community voices—those who bear the brunt of polluted air—must be meaningfully included at the decision-making table, shaping policies that reflect their lived realities and aspirations for a healthier, more equitable future.

Clean air a human right!

As Azeezat Afinowi-Subair, Head of the Climate Change Unit at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Lagos State, Nigeria, aptly stated, “Clean air is a right, it cannot be compromised.” Indeed, clean air is not a luxury—it is a fundamental human right, a catalyst for economic competitiveness, and a cornerstone of sustainable, livable cities. Africa has the youngest urban population in the world, poised to lead the next industrial and digital revolutions. Do we want these future generations to build their dreams under polluted skies? The CLEAN-Air Forum 2025 is a chance to turn Africa’s air quality crisis into a success story of resilience, innovation, and justice. The time to clear the air is now. Nairobi cannot be another meeting. It must be a turning point.

Dr Stephen Kimotho, is an author and expert in climate and public health communication matters across Africa, and Assistant Professor of Strategic Public Health Communication at USIU-A.

stephenkimotho@gmail.com