The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and other experts in the environment sector have advocated for the use of technology and regular collaborations as part of the measures to tackle the menace of air pollution in the African continent.
This was part of the key recommendation made at the ongoing five-day Clean Air Forum in Lagos State with the theme: ”Advancing Collaborations and Multi-Regional Partnership for Clean Air Actions in African Cities”, at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, from July 8-12, 2024.
Earlier in his address, the General Manager of LASEPA, Dr. Tunde Ajayi highlighted the Agency’s efforts to tackle air pollution in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city and Africa’s 4th largest economy, adding that the Forum is aimed at promoting knowledge sharing, collaborations and partnerships to address air pollution in African cities.
He emphasised that the State Government acknowledged that a multi-stakeholder approach is necessary to improve the health and well-being of the people of Africa. He urged participants to use the opportunity of the forum to exchange and share ideas that would provoke robust discussions that could engender innovative actions towards addressing the problem of air pollution in Africa.
According to him, the international event, organised by AirQo, Makerere University, AQMRG, University of Lagos and LASEPA, brought together a diverse group of over 300 air quality stakeholders from 40 countries to tackle the pressing issue of air pollution in Africa.
The Clean Air Forum featured presentations from academia and policymakers highlighting innovative solutions to combat air pollution in Africa, including sustainable transportation solutions, community-led initiatives, data gathering and analysis, sensor networking and the use of artificial intelligence to monitor and manage air quality in real-time towards reducing air pollution across the region.