Let Nairobi meeting lead to better air quality worldwide

Air pollution is the second largest risk factor for death globally. [Courtesy]

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.