By Gabriel Agbeja
The University of Ghana says it is advancing public health and environmental policymaking across Africa through its Air Sensor Evaluation and Training (Afri-SET Project).
Dr Allison Hughes, Afri-SET Project Facility Manager at the University, disclosed this when a team of Climate Beyond Borders Caravan (CBBC), an initiative of People Planet and Peace Foundatio, paid a courtesy visit to the institution.
Hughes said Afri-SET tests, calibrates and evaluates low-cost air quality monitoring devices to provide accurate pollution data for West Africa.
“The Afri-SET facility is a low-cost air quality sensor evaluation and capacity-building hub located in the Department of Physics at the University of Ghana.
“The project was launched at the University of Ghana in collaboration with AfriqAir. It was established with a 700,000-dollar grant from the Clean Air Fund, UK, and support from the U.S. Department of State.
“Most air sensors are designed for the Global North, making them less accurate under African environmental conditions,” he said.
According to him, the project operates a sensor loan library that allows approved institutions and organisations to borrow air monitoring tools for tracking community-level pollution.
He added that the initiative had trained hundreds of African professionals in satellite applications, data analysis and sensor installation, thereby supporting public health and environmental policymaking across the continent.
Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nana Appeiah, commended the Africa Climate Collaborative (ACC) initiative for building human capacity, driving localised research and promoting green economic development across Africa.
The vice-chancellor, represented by Prof. Christopher Gordon, former Director of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies, said ACC was a major multi-institutional initiative funded by the Mastercard Foundation.
“Implemented in partnership with the University of Ghana, Makerere University, the University of Cape Town and the University of Cambridge, the project focuses on training the next generation of African climate leaders.
“Its core objectives include capacity building and innovative research through interdisciplinary studies in key areas such as renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, urban sustainability and climate health.
“Other objectives include strengthening policy and enterprise linkages by connecting academic research with local communities, entrepreneurs and policymakers to scale climate-smart solutions,” he said.
