Advancing participatory air quality management for urban health in Yaounde

Motivation

Urban air pollution is one of the most important contemporary health threats globally and is responsible for over seven million premature deaths annually. Populations in Africa are disproportionately affected by air pollution challenges, accounting for over 10% of global mortality. However, effective management programmes have not been established in many African cities, largely because of limited access to timely and accurate air quality data from ground monitoring. The associated cost burdens of conventional air quality monitoring make it prohibitive for low-resourced cities to design and implement tailored interventions.

Advancing participatory air quality management is important for urban health. Engaging the local community in monitoring and managing air quality fosters a sense of ownership and empowerment. Involving residents in the decision-making process creates a more inclusive and responsive approach to addressing their specific concerns. This participatory model enables citizens to contribute firsthand observations, traditional knowledge, and contextual insights that may not be captured through conventional monitoring methods. Promoting community involvement not only enhances the accuracy and relevance of air quality data but also strengthens the resilience of urban populations to the health impacts of pollution.

This workshop will bring together the Yaounde air quality community of practice and will encourage collaborative efforts between local communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders to implement effective air quality policies and interventions.

The workshop aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. Consolidate the stakeholder landscape in Cameroon
2. Explore the overlapping/synergistic activities on air quality/urban health in Cameroon
3. Onboarding and co-design of the implementation strategy for the CLEAN-Air project
4. Identify opportunities and avenues for further engagement and collaboration

Expected outcomes

1. Strengthen the consolidation of the stakeholder landscape in Yaoundé
2. Know the overlapping/synergistic activities on air quality/urban health in Yaoundé
3. Get the integration and co-design of the implementation strategy of the CLEAN-Air project
4. know the opportunities and avenues for further engagement and collaboration
5. Raised awareness on air quality issues

Setting the scene – Dr Assah

1. Brief overview of the Clean-Air 4 Yaoundé project
2. Objectives and expectations of this inaugural workshop

Session 1: Learning from the past

Presentation of the Clean-Air for African Cities Network Project – Mr Okure

1. History of AirQo group and its low-cost sensors
2. Other network partners and perspectives

Consolidate the stakeholder landscape in Yaounde – Dr Assah

1. Who is in the room? Who is not?

Overlapping/synergistic activities on air quality/urban health in Yaounde

1. Who is doing what in/around Yaoundé?

Session 2: The CLEAN-Air Project: Understanding/co-creating the present and the future –

Stakeholder onboarding and co-design of the implementation strategy for the CLEAN-Air for Yaoundé project

1. How the installation sites were chosen?
2. Where are the AirQo sensors installed?
3. Existing monitoring landscape
4. Avenues for further engagement and collaboration?

Demonstration of public access and use of AirQo app and web platform – Mr Elouna
Group photo and bio-break – Mr Ngwa

State of air quality in Yaoundé: preliminary analysis of the initial data – Mr Feuyit

1. Air quality in Yaounde: what the data says?
2. What are the possible health impacts?

Session 3: Shaping the future – Dr Assah / Mr Okure

Collaboration Avenues, Opportunities and Announcements

1. With the community of practice
2. With the external stakeholders or partners

Closing remarks

1. Summary of the workshop
2. Action points and way forward
3. Vote of thanks