Africa

Rapid Appraisal Facility Tool

The Rapid Appraisal Facility Tool (RAFT) is a form-based tool that provides solid waste management staff and planners a quick and efficient way to collect key data about a city’s current solid waste and recycling systems. Read More

Announcing the Winners of the 2023 Urbanlinks Photo Contest!

We are excited to announce the winners of the inaugural Urbanlinks 2023 Photo Contest! Over 80 submissions representing 12 countries were submitted to the contest. Submissions to the four themes of Air Quality, Climate, Ocean Plastics, and Urban Communities highlight the work that USAID engages in with local partners, alongside… Read More

Black Gold: How Sale of Catalytic Converters Puts Lives in Danger

Catalytic converters are essential for removing up to 98% of the pollutants coming out of a vehicle’s tailpipe, especially tiny particulate matter (known as PM2.5) that can lodge in the lungs and cause severe health complications. In Africa, they are often removed from vehicles as part of a lucrative, black,… Read More

Clean Air Catalyst Fact Sheet – Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya’s capital city Nairobi, has experienced accelerated growth in both population and economic output in the last two decades driven by its role as an international and regional hub for commerce, transport, regional cooperation, and economic development. Its population has increased from 1.4 million in the 1990s to more than… Read More

Clean Air Catalyst – Sources of Air Pollution: Addis Ababa

Reducing air pollution is challenging because it has varied sources and its very real impacts on human health and economy are difficult to quantify. Various opportunities exist for the city of Addis Ababa to learn from and also choose among many air pollution control policy choices that can alter the city’s development trajectory. Read More

Clean Air Catalyst Fact Sheet

Action to improve – and maintain – clean air has lagged far behind the mounting evidence of harm. Clean Air Catalyst, a flagship program launched by USAID and a global partnership of organizations led by World Resources Institute and Environmental Defense Fund, seeks to change this. Read More

60 Kenyan innovators selected for $70,000 Mombasa Plastics Prize

By Kang’ethe Njoroge The Mombasa Plastics Prize has selected 60 innovators whose ideas have been selected to tackle marine plastic pollution along the coastline of Mombasa County.   Aged 18-25, the finalists are grouped into 15 teams and are now in a race to be one of the top three teams… Read More

Anchoring Road Safety Around Schools

This webinar shows how programs like safe school zones and safe routes to schools can address the mobility concerns of the most vulnerable people in the city. These interventions can also catalize a greater aproach to urban mobility in cities. Presenters shared experiences and best practices from Mexico City, Rio… Read More