Air pollution does not stop at borders. Across Africa, communities are facing pollution from transport emissions, industrial activity, fossil fuel operations, open burning, household energy use, urban growth, and weak environmental enforcement. Yet, when conversations happen around air pollution, climate change, and public health, African data is often limited, underrepresented, or missing entirely. This makes it harder for policies, funding, research, and interventions to reflect the lived realities of African communities. BREATHE-AFRICA exists to close that gap. Through this program, Breatha gathers local environmental intelligence, conducts climate and health research, and contributes African insights to national, regional, and international platforms. The goal is to ensure that African communities affected by pollution are visible in the data, research, and decisions that shape environmental action.
African Countries in Network
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Institutional Research Partnerships
Regional & International Forums
Air pollution and climate change are deeply connected. Many pollution sources including fossil fuel combustion, transport emissions, industrial activity, gas flaring, and open burning also contribute to climate change. For African countries, this creates a double burden. Communities face immediate health risks from polluted air while also experiencing climate-related pressures such as heat, flooding, food insecurity, poor sanitation, and environmental degradation. However, effective action depends on evidence. Where data is missing, attention, funding, and policy response may also be limited. BREATHE-AFRICA helps ensure that African realities are measured, documented, and included.
01
Aggregates Environmental and Community Data
Breatha collects and organizes data from air quality sensors, community surveys, field research, and environmental assessments. This helps build a clearer picture of pollution patterns and climate-related health risks across African communities. The program turns local data into evidence that can support research, advocacy, planning, and environmental accountability.
02
Conducts Climate, Air Quality, and Health Research
BREATHE-AFRICA supports research on the relationship between air pollution, climate change, human health, and community resilience. This includes studying exposure patterns, vulnerable populations, pollution sources, climate-related risks, and the health burden of environmental degradation. The goal is to generate insights that are scientifically useful, locally grounded, and relevant to African realities.
03
Strengthens African Visibility in Environmental Conversations
Breatha uses findings from local monitoring and research to contribute to conversations on clean air, climate resilience, public health, and environmental justice across Africa and beyond. This may include reports, policy briefs, research collaborations, conferences, campaigns, and partnerships with regional and international institutions. BREATHE-AFRICA helps ensure that African communities are not only affected by environmental issues, but also represented in the solutions.
04
Supports Collaboration Across African Communities and Institutions
By generating credible data and community-based evidence, BREATHE-AFRICA supports collaboration with NGOs, universities, health institutions, climate organizations, development partners, environmental networks, and government agencies. This creates opportunities for research partnerships, pilot projects, funding, and scalable interventions that respond to real community needs.
“BREATHE-AFRICA gave us access to credible, locally grounded data we could never have gathered alone. Our research is now cited by WHO and UNEP — and it reflects African realities.”
Prof. Aisha Kamara
Environmental Scientist, University of Nairobi
“For too long, African communities were absent from the datasets that shaped global environmental decisions. BREATHE-AFRICA is changing that, one dataset at a time.”
Dr. Seun Adeleke
Climate & Health Researcher, Ibadan
Support BREATHE-AFRICA
Your partnership helps us expand this program to more communities and protect more lives across Africa.
Every donation, no matter how big or small, make a significant difference
to our cause. Thank your for doing your part to help.
