This is the second installment of a four-part series exploring how U.S. Embassies positively impact air quality monitoring around the world.

Many African cities are regularly exposed to unhealthy—and at times hazardous—levels of air pollution, driven by sources like biomass burning, industrial activity, older vehicles, and seasonal dust storms.

Despite the severity, a lack of reliable air quality data has long obscured the full extent of the problem. Without consistent monitoring, it’s difficult for governments, researchers, or citizens to understand local pollution levels—or their impact on public health.

In the 2010s and 2020s, U.S. State Department embassies across Africa began installing air quality monitors to address this gap, and provided independent, real-time PM2.5 data in countries where government monitoring was limited or nonexistent. This monitoring data revealed the true severity of pollution and played a crucial role in raising awareness and sparking public dialogue. Publicly available data empowered citizens, civil society organizations, and policymakers to push for stronger environmental protections. They also help protect U.S. diplomats and civil servants in those countries by making them aware of air pollution that could impact their health.

This effective public health and diplomatic program improved living standards across multiple countries—yet now it is being phased out, leaving its future uncertain.

U.S. embassies provide life-saving data

PM2.5—fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller—poses serious health risks. These tiny particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, increasing the risk of respiratory diseases, heart conditions, and premature death. Without real-time monitoring, communities were unaware of the invisible threat they faced daily.

To address this issue, U.S. State Department embassies in African cities such as Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria installed regulatory-grade air quality monitors, providing the first real-time, publicly available PM2.5 data in several African cities (1)(2). Air quality data was made accessible through platforms like AirNow and IQAir, enabling residents, researchers, and policymakers to track pollution levels and understand daily air quality conditions. 

Researchers in Nairobi, Kenya have directly cited U.S. State Department monitor data in their studies (3). In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the U.S. Embassy partnered with NASA and the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society to research local air pollution (4). These collaborations have generated important, potentially life-saving insights into regional pollution sources and solutions.

Training experts and passing air quality laws

Recognizing the shortage of air quality expertise in Africa, the U.S. State Department partnered with Columbia University to build local capacity, training air quality experts across the continent (5). This initiative focused on air pollution measurement, policy development, and advocacy, equipping participants with the technical knowledge needed to drive change in their respective countries. The initiative provided technical expertise and policy guidance, ultimately helping Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Nigeria in monitoring their air quality (6).

Without continued external support, newly trained experts may face challenges in fully implementing and expanding their work, potentially slowing progress toward cleaner air across the region.

Air quality improvements and remaining challenges

U.S. State Department air quality monitoring’s impact has extended beyond data collection, inspiring some African governments to act. In response to increased public awareness and advocacy, several nations have begun installing their own air quality monitors, improving local capacity to track pollution. South Africa, for example, has significantly expanded its national air quality monitoring network, providing more comprehensive data on air pollution levels.

Greater transparency and media coverage of State Department air quality data also put pressure on courts and governments to act. Environmental regulations, including vehicle emissions controls, have been introduced in Nigeria (7). In 2022, South African courts affirmed that citizens held a constitutional right to clean air (8). And across the continent there are efforts to improve electric bus transit systems in countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal, Nigeria, and South Africa (9)(10).

Yet, many challenges remain unaddressed. Most African countries still struggle with enforcement due to limited resources, weak regulatory frameworks, and competing economic priorities. Far too many nations lack any on-the-ground air quality monitoring; air quality information is limited to less reliable satellite data. Meanwhile, pollution from traffic emissions, industrial activities, and widespread biomass burning continues to pose serious health risks in many African cities.

The most polluted country in the world for both 2022 and 2024 was Chad, in northern Africa. Home to the Bodélé Depression, one of the most prominent sources of atmospheric dust in the world, Chad’s air quality data relies on a single source of reliable air quality monitoring – the U.S. Embassy in N’Djamena.

U.S. State Department monitoring ending

Even so, the U.S. State Department announced its intention to end State Department air quality monitoring data sharing worldwide in March (11). With this cessation of data publication, a critical source of independent pollution data will disappear, leaving a major gap—especially in African cities like N’Djamena where government-run monitoring remains sparse or nonexistent.

For years, U.S. embassies provided a trusted benchmark for pollution levels, ensuring transparency and holding governments accountable. Without validated air quality data, air pollution may become far less visible, making advocacy efforts more difficult and potentially slowing progress on air quality improvements (12).

But without much needed regulatory-grade air quality monitors like those provided by the U.S. State Department, low-cost sensors will lose access to calibrated, validated data, essential for improving the accuracy of larger air quality monitoring networks. 

The takeaway

The U.S. State Department’s air quality monitoring program has played a pivotal role in raising awareness and driving environmental policy across Africa. By making real-time, independent pollution data publicly accessible, it exposed the true scale of air pollution in many cities—and helped catalyze action.

As the program winds down, maintaining access to validated, trustworthy air data will be critical to supporting Africa’s continued progress toward cleaner, healthier air.

Next week: This is the second installment in our four-part series. In our third installment in this four-part series, read How U.S. embassies advanced air monitoring across Central Asia and in our fourth installment will discuss Defunding U.S. Embassy air quality monitoring and its global consequences. 

Missed Part 1? Read how the U.S. State Department started a Chinese environmental movement.