By Abid Omar
I am fortunate to spend this week in Lagos, Nigeria as I was invited to attend and present at the CLEAN-Air Forum, Lagos 2024, a pan-African gathering to drive action for clean air across the continent.
Africa is becoming a continent of megacities, exemplified by Lagos in Nigeria with a metropolitan population of 30 million, and rapidly growing by one million every three years.
These megacities have heavy human footprints which drive toxicity through air and water quality issues, heat stress and biosecurity with their respective consequential health implications.
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These megacities require sophisticated and data-driven planning to ensure a future that is viable and sustainable.
Taking air pollution as measurable indicator for development status, the city of Lagos has fine particulate matter pollution between 20 and 40 ug/m3 over the year. That is 4-8 times above WHO’s recommended safe limits, and approximately 18,000 persons die annually from these pollution levels.
Many other African megacities are impacted by similarly high pollution levels, and their associated morbidity and mortality risks.
Megacities in Pakistan face similar problems in terms of rapid, unplanned and unsustainable development and the myriad issues arising from that. To have a sense of the scale of the problem, only one African city is in the top 100 most polluted cities in the world, and only two in the top 300. Meanwhile, all major cities in Pakistan are in the top 10 most polluted cities in the world. Yes, the top 10, not the top 100 or 200.
What I have witnessed in Lagos is an impressive, well-timed gathering of governments, environmental protection agencies, scientists and academics, non-profit organizations, and journalists who have come together to share knowledge and enhance regional collaboration.
They are united in their aspirations to build a future where everyone can breathe clean air in healthy and thriving sustainable cities across Africa.
Each city and region presented plans with evidence-informed policies and solutions, with a focus on multi-agency, multi-sector and regional collaboration. There was emphasis on the need for universities and research centers to provide data-driven evidence.
African megacities are being developed as smart cities, with data driving policy, climate smart planning and sophisticated urban management systems such as smart energy, smart transportation and smart waste management. All of this is supported by open data and digital maps, with participatory planning involving citizens who ensure that social and cultural concerns are considered and prioritized.
GenZ is also coming out on the roads and demanding changes for sustainable and thriving cities.
I sensed urgency for action, driven by the realization that the cost of morbidity and mortality from air toxicity is much higher than the cost of adaptation.
This movement towards an inclusive and collaborative approach is the perfect recipe for African cities that are resilient and prepared for the future.
There is a lesson here for cities in Pakistan. Is the government in Pakistan and other regions of the subcontinent listening?
Abid Omar is the founder of the Pakistan Air Quality Initiative
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