International funding for outdoor air quality initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa plummeted by 91 percent in 2023, dropping from $129 million to just $11.8 million, according to Clean Air Fund analysis that exposes a dangerous funding crisis even as the region faces escalating pollution threats.
The dramatic collapse leaves Africa with less than one percent of global clean air finance despite experiencing the world's fastest urbanization rate and mounting public health emergencies.
Vumile Senene, a senior official at Clean Air Fund, attributes the extraordinary decline primarily to a single major donor stepping away from air quality funding. Speaking in responses to questions from NewsGhana, Senene emphasized how fragile and concentrated current financing structures have become, where the entire funding landscape can shift dramatically based on one institution's decision. Because the overall funding pool remains so small, even project-level changes create massive swings in available resources.
The funding collapse carries severe implications for public health across African cities. Clean Air Fund analysis of six major African cities including Accra, Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi and Yaoundé projects that unchecked air pollution will cost these urban centers $138 billion by 2040 through premature deaths and lost productivity. However, taking action now could prevent 109,000 premature deaths and save $19 billion over the same period.
Air pollution already claims more lives annually across Africa than HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, making it the continent's silent killer. The stark economic and health projections underscore how clean air represents not a luxury but one of the smartest investments governments and donors can make for health outcomes, economic growth and climate resilience.
Ghana confronts particularly acute challenges, with approximately 28,000 people dying annually from air pollution, making it the country's second biggest health threat. In Accra specifically, pollution levels reach eleven times higher than World Health Organization recommendations, creating hazardous conditions for millions of residents in the capital region.
Clean Air Fund has been supporting Ghana's emerging clean air movement since 2022, working collaboratively with government agencies, researchers, journalists and community leaders to address root causes. The organization backs several innovative initiatives including the Green Africa Youth Organization's Zero Waste Accra project, which prevents open waste burning while supporting 500 informal sector workers. This model recently earned recognition through winning the 2024 Earthshot Prize, validating its approach to tackling waste management challenges that contribute significantly to air pollution.
The Fund also supports Afri-SET, a regional hub focused on testing and calibrating low-cost air quality sensors across West Africa, helping build the monitoring infrastructure necessary for evidence-based policymaking. Through Breathe Cities Accra, the organization is expanding monitoring capacity with 60 low-cost sensors while supporting district-level clean air planning processes. Additional partnerships with New Narratives and GhanaThink Foundation aim to empower journalists and youth advocates to elevate air pollution into a pressing political issue demanding action.
Senene points to successful clean air interventions elsewhere that could inform West African approaches. London's Ultra Low Emission Zone has cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 24 percent, demonstrating how targeted urban policies deliver measurable results. In the Indo-Gangetic Airshed, strategic grants helped unlock a $330 million development loan, showing how catalytic financing can mobilize larger capital flows. Cities like Sofia and Krakow have seen dramatic reductions in fine particulate pollution through implementing low-emission zones.
These examples illustrate the power of combining robust evidence, local leadership commitment and adequate financing. West African cities are beginning to follow similar pathways. Accra's clean air network demonstrates how data collection, waste management reform and citizen engagement can work together synergistically. According to Senene, every dollar invested in clean air delivers multiple returns through improved health outcomes, stronger economic performance and climate benefits.
However, progress faces significant headwinds from fossil fuel subsidies and continued investment in polluting infrastructure. Senene notes that aid for fossil fuel projects surged 80 percent in 2023 to reach $9.5 billion, even as outdoor clean air funding fell 20 percent globally. This contradiction undermines efforts on both climate mitigation and public health protection.
Fossil fuel projects lock countries into decades of pollution precisely when the world has committed to halving air pollution deaths by 2040. Clean Air Fund is urging governments and international lenders to end fossil fuel financing and redirect those resources toward projects delivering cleaner air, healthier communities and sustainable economic development.
South Africa's decision to prioritize clean air on the G20 agenda presents a major opportunity for continental leadership. Senene describes this move as sending a clear message that clean air underpins health, productivity and climate action. Clean Air Fund hopes to see three specific outcomes emerge from the G20 platform: funding targeted toward regions most neglected, particularly Africa; clean air integrated systematically into climate and development investments; and a phaseout of fossil fuel finance.
Across the continent, cities are expanding air quality monitoring networks through collaborative initiatives like AirQo, Clean Air Catalyst and Breathe Cities, which operate in cities from Nairobi to Kampala, Kigali and Lagos. These partnerships help close critical data gaps while generating evidence that supports informed decision making by policymakers.
Many solutions are already known and being deployed by governments at various levels. Dakar has launched Africa's first all-electric bus rapid transit system, demonstrating viable alternatives to diesel-powered public transport. Uganda has adopted its first national air quality standards, establishing regulatory frameworks for enforcement. Rwanda and Kenya are scaling clean cooking solutions that reduce household air pollution while addressing deforestation pressures. Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Togo are integrating air pollution considerations into their national climate commitments.
Senene emphasizes that African governments are demonstrating what coordinated action looks like. What's critically needed now is donor support to scale these promising efforts from pilot projects to citywide and nationwide implementation. The funding collapse makes this scaling challenge significantly more difficult, threatening to stall momentum just as awareness and political will are building.
Civil society organizations, media outlets and young leaders are already transforming the conversation around air quality from Accra to Nairobi. In Ghana, journalists trained through New Narratives have published over 100 public interest stories on air pollution, keeping the issue visible and politically urgent. Youth groups like GhanaThink are running national clean air campaigns that mobilize public pressure for policy action.
The private sector can play a crucial role in converting momentum into tangible results. Acting on air quality provides companies with a concrete pathway to decarbonize operations while simultaneously improving public health outcomes. Through partnerships like the UN Global Compact, Clean Air Fund is working to help businesses lead this transformation, demonstrating that environmental responsibility and business success can align.
The funding crisis comes at a particularly inopportune moment. African cities continue growing rapidly, creating both increased pollution sources and larger exposed populations. Without adequate investment in monitoring infrastructure, policy development, and clean technology deployment, the continent risks locking in pollution patterns that will prove extraordinarily costly to reverse later.
Clean Air Fund's call for air quality to be built systematically into development and climate project design reflects recognition that standalone clean air funding will likely remain insufficient. By integrating air quality considerations into larger infrastructure, energy, transport and urban planning investments, funding becomes more resilient while ensuring clean air is recognized as essential to sustainable development rather than an optional add-on.
The question facing international donors and African governments is whether they will recognize air pollution as the urgent crisis it represents. With 28,000 annual deaths in Ghana alone and hundreds of thousands across the continent, the human cost of inaction continues mounting. The economic case for investment is equally compelling, with every dollar spent on clean air generating returns through avoided healthcare costs, maintained productivity and improved quality of life.
As South Africa prepares to champion clean air at the G20, the timing exists for a fundamental reset in how the international community approaches air quality financing in Africa. Whether this opportunity translates into sustained funding increases and policy shifts will determine whether the continent can address its air pollution crisis before it becomes even more entrenched and costly to solve.