Afri-Set WEST

It always starts small.

One bottle. One wrapper. One careless moment.

But multiplied by millions, it becomes a crisis we can no longer ignore.

The choices we make every day shape the air we breathe and the world we live in. Choose better. Dispose responsibly.

Allison Felix Hughes Clean Air Fund Afri-Set WEST

Understanding the air we breathe begins with monitoring

Allison Felix Hughes Clean Air Fund

Happy Independence Day, Ghana 🇬🇭

As we celebrate our nation’s freedom, we are reminded that clean air is essential to healthy communities and a sustainable future. Afri-SET remains committed to advancing air quality monitoring and solutions for a healthier Ghana.

As part of Afri-SET’s monthly routine maintenance checks, colleagues from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) visited our facility today to service the Teledyne T640 particulate matter analyzer. During the visit, the Afri-SET technical team also conducted calibration of the ozone (O₃) and nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) monitors on site.
Regular servicing and calibration are critical to ensuring the optimal performance, accuracy, and longevity of our air quality monitoring systems. These quality assurance measures strengthen the reliability of our data and reinforce our commitment to providing robust evidence to support informed environmental policy and decision-making.

Allison Felix Hughes Clean Air Fund Wegene Negesse

Afri-SET was pleased to take part in the final session of the Use of Low-Cost Sensors for Air Quality Monitoring in South Asia training series, held today, Tuesday, February 17, 2026, where we presented on “Low-Cost Sensor Training, Global Practices and Toolkits: The Afri-SET Experience.”

This section brought together a very good understanding of practical approaches to air quality monitoring using low-cost sensor technologies.

The session featured expert contributions from Nathalie van Duijvenbode (AirGradient Ltd.), Allison Felix Hughes, Ph.D. (Afri-SET West), and Eliani Ezani (Allin-Wayra / Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM), who shared their expertise and experiences from different regional and institutional perspectives.

As the final session in this virtual series, the training has supported early-career researchers across South Asia with the knowledge, tools, and networks needed to advance air quality monitoring efforts in their respective contexts.

We are proud to be part of this collaborative effort to strengthen capacity and drive evidence-based solutions for cleaner air.

Allison Felix Hughes Clean Air Fund Afri-Set WEST Wegene Negesse

We are interested in understanding how air quality sensors are being used across different environments and the practical challenges that come with them. Your insights will help us identify gaps, improve data reliability, and explore ways to make air quality monitoring more effective and accessible.

Allison Felix Hughes Clean Air Fund

On 27th January 2026, Afri-SET was invited to participate in a workshop organized under the PALM-TREES Project, by the Sustainable Solutions for Africa (SSA) and the UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES-UENR). The workshop focused on developing context-specific and gender-responsive metrics for assessing the impacts of extreme heat stress on women’s livelihoods in Accra.

During the workshop, Senior Lecturer and Vice Dean of Students at UENR, Dr. Naomi Kumi delivered a presentation on research findings examining extreme heat stress and its impacts on women’s livelihoods. The importance of developing heat stress impact metrics for Accra was emphasized while designing metrics that are practical and decision oriented.

The discussions on the need for integrated and locally relevant heat stress impact metrics reinforced Afri-SET’s core approach of evaluating environmental monitoring tools within African contexts. Just as low-cost air quality sensors must be assessed for performance under local climatic and pollution conditions, heat stress metrics must also reflect local livelihoods, urban systems, and occupational realities. Thereby opening pathways for collaboration at the intersection of air quality, climate stressors, and public health.

The workshop brought together representatives from academia (University of Ghana), government institutions (NADMO, ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AUTHORITY (EPA) GHANA, GMET).

Clean Air Fund Allison Felix Hughes

Afri-SET WEST recently collocated Clarity Node sensors with Multi-Gas (The Clarity Multi-Gas Module expands the capabilities of the Node-S, enabling real-time measurement of CO, O₃, NO₂, NO, and NOx) and Dust Modules (The Dust Module brings coarse particle detection to the Node-S platform, enabling real-time measurement of PM₁₀) at our facility to evaluate for Clarity Movement Co.

The installation of these sensors will help us generate the relevant data needed for our evaluation, which will mark an important step in strengthening the use of low-cost air quality sensors in the global south.

These sensors will also support ongoing efforts to generate reliable, high-resolution data on air pollution, helping researchers, students, policymakers, and communities better understand exposure patterns and make informed decisions.

Allison Felix Hughes Clean Air Fund Afri-Set WEST

On Thursday, 15 January, Afri-SET West was pleased to host Prof. Dan Westervelt of Columbia University, following his EPA and Columbia University Workshop on Satellite Data and Air Quality Innovation held from 12 to 15 January.
During his visit, Prof. Westervelt was briefed on the progress of our ongoing work in sensor evaluation, including the Microsensor Challenge and the upcoming Afri-SET annual workshop on air quality. We also had the opportunity to learn more about his current air quality research projects in Ghana and at Columbia University.
The visit was highly engaging and reaffirmed the value of collaboration and strong partnerships in advancing air quality research and innovation. We are grateful for his time and continued support.

Clean Air Fund Allison Felix Hughes Afri-Set WEST Wegene Negesse