By Edward Acquah
Accra, June 24, GNA – Stakeholders have called for sustained investment in the Air Quality Sensor Evaluation and Training Facility for West Africa (Afri-SET) to strengthen air quality monitoring and data reliability.
They said such investment would improve evidence-based policymaking and enable citizens to demand greater accountability on environmental health issues.
The call was made at a four-day regional workshop on Air Quality Data, Air Sensors and Computational Tools for West Africa, organised by Afri-SET at the University of Ghana.
Dr Allison Felix Hughes, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Physics, University of Ghana and Facility Manager of Afri-SET, said the facility was established to address the high cost of conventional air quality monitoring equipment and limited technical capacity in the sub-region.
He said although low-cost air quality sensors were increasingly in use, many were calibrated outside Africa and often produced unreliable readings under local climatic and pollution conditions.
“We want to ensure that sensors which come into the country or into the continent are the right type of sensors and that the data from those sensors are reliable,” he said.
Dr Hughes stressed that accurate air quality data were essential for governments to develop effective policies to protect public health and the environment.
He said Afri-SET had evaluated 10 sensor types from manufacturers globally and developed testing protocols validated by leading international air quality centres in the United States, France and Norway.
Dr Hughes said the facility had also exceeded its training targets, building capacity among researchers and practitioners from several West African countries through workshops, webinars and laboratory-based training.
He noted that the model was being replicated in Southern Africa, while interest had been expressed by institutions in Nigeria and other countries to establish similar centres.
Mr Desmond Appiah, Country Lead for the Clean Air Fund Ghana, said the initiative was helping countries generate accurate and context-specific air quality data for decision-making.
“One of our goals is not just getting evidence; it is getting the correct evidence, especially in our context,” he said.
Mr Appiah urged participants to apply the knowledge acquired to sustain progress made under the initiative, adding that air pollution remained a transboundary challenge requiring regional cooperation and sustained investment in monitoring and research.
Afri-SET was established through a partnership between the University of Ghana, the Environmental Protection Agency, Carnegie Mellon University Africa and international partners, with funding support from the Clean Air Fund.
Air pollution remains a major public health concern in Ghana, with the World Health Organisation estimating more than 28,000 premature deaths annually linked to household and ambient air pollution.
Stakeholders said sustained support for Afri-SET would strengthen air quality monitoring systems, improve scientific evidence for policymaking and support efforts to reduce the health burden of air pollution in Ghana and across Africa.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Edward Acquah