Mombasa is ranked eighth among the top 10 least polluted cities on the continent according to the 2020 World Air Quality Report, published by Swiss firm, IQAir. Malian capital, Bamako, topped the list for the most polluted African cities, with the air quality there considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups”.

South African city Sebokeng and Ghana’s Accra ranked second and third respectively for the most polluted cities on the continent while Kampala, Uganda is the 5^th most polluted city on the continent according to the report.

The ranking did not include Nigerian Cities. Nairobi did not rank among the 15 most polluted and least polluted cities on the continent, however, previous studies have highlighted the unhealthy state of air quality in the city. South Africa’s Cape Town ranked as the least polluted city on the continent.

The report notes that the severity of air pollution in Africa and its resulting health impact is difficult to quantify, as air quality data is limited. For most regional locations, insights must be inferred from satellite data.

In 2020 alone, the firm expanded the region’s air quality monitoring network across 5 new countries (Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, and Kenya) and 10 new cities.

However, data in the region remains sparse. Currently, 41 African countries lack air quality monitoring data, leaving nearly a billion people without the information necessary to make important health decisions It is estimated that air pollution claims up to 780,000 African lives annually.

Related; 5,000 Slain by Ambient Air Quality in Kenya in 2019