Clean air forum begins July 8 in Lagos

 By Oyebola Owolabi

The Clean Air Forum, organised by the Lagos State government in partnership with AirQo, a pan-African Research Initiative at Makerere University, Uganda, will begin July 8.

The five-day forum is themed ‘Advancing Collaborations and Multi-Regional Partnership for Clean Air actions in African cities’. It will hold from July 8 to 12.

According to the General Manager of LASEPA, Tunde Ajayi, the forum will address air pollution in Africa, to chart a course for improved air quality in the continent, through an acceptable policy framework for a healthy citizenry.

Ajayi said over 350 participants from over 40 countries are expected at the forum. These include air quality communities of practice in Africa, comprising different stakeholders including policymakers, representatives from civil society organizations, the private sector, development partners and the scientific communities.

He added: “The clean air forum is organised by AirQo, a pan-African Research Initiative at Makerere University, Uganda, in partnership with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), and hosted by the Air Quality Monitoring Research Group (AQMRG) and EUEPiN from the University of Lagos, UrbanBetter, among other stakeholders.

“The forum will focus on fostering knowledge sharing, and trans-disciplinary collaborations, while particularly emphasising the need to strengthen regional networks and multi-regional partnerships for sustained interventions for clean air in Africa.

“The Clean Air Forum is a unique opportunity to explore innovative solutions for air quality management in Africa; develop new partnerships and collaborations; enhance knowledge and skills development; expand professional network for increased capacity building.

Ajayi added that effective environmental control for sustainable growth is crucial to good governance, thus, ‘the government will continue to collaborate with experts to tackle climate change, pollution and other environmental challenges that may have a direct negative impact on the health of the citizenry’, he noted.

AirQo Project Lead Prof. Bainomugisha stressed that the forum underscores the urgency of addressing and championing clean air in Africa’s urban environments.

“The Forum will provide pathways to air quality management for African cities and increase awareness of air quality and air pollution issues for better health outcomes in Africa,” Bainomugisha noted.

Interested persons can register for participation through https://www.airqo.net/clean-air/forumschedule.

 

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