Ugandan air quality monitoring initiative AirQo has been named among the 15 finalists for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, recognising its work to tackle air pollution across African cities.
Founded at Makerere University in 2015, AirQo uses low-cost air quality monitors, open data and artificial intelligence to track pollution and provide evidence to communities, researchers and policymakers.
The initiative was selected under the Clean Our Air Earthshot, one of five categories of the global environmental prize founded by Prince William in 2020. AirQo is addressing what it describes as a largely invisible public health threat across Africa, where many cities lack reliable, locally relevant data showing where pollution is concentrated, when pollution levels spike and whether interventions are working.
According to AirQo, air pollution was the second-leading risk factor for death across Africa in 2019 and was associated with an estimated 1.1 million deaths that year. Rapid urbanisation has increased emissions from transport, industry and waste, while limited monitoring infrastructure has made it difficult for many African cities to understand the scale and distribution of the problem.
As a finalist, AirQo will receive support from The Earthshot Prize to expand its work across African cities, strengthen the investment case for clean-air infrastructure and build partnerships with governments, funders, technology companies and urban leaders.
The support is also expected to help AirQo expand its open-source data platform, build local technical capacity and raise the profile of air quality as a public and policy priority.
Prince William, president and founder of The Earthshot Prize, said the finalists demonstrated that environmental progress was possible despite the scale of the challenges facing the world.
“Every year, our finalists give me renewed optimism. They show us that, even as the environmental challenges remain urgent, extraordinary people around the world are already proving that progress is possible,” he said.
“Seeing solutions work gives us all confidence to act. When they succeed, they inspire others and accelerate change. I’m proud to welcome these 15 finalists to the Earthshot Prize community and look forward to celebrating their stories in Mumbai this November.”
From Kampala to African cities
AirQo was established after its founder, Prof Eng Bainomugisha, observed worsening air quality after moving from rural Uganda to Kampala.
Bainomugisha, a professor of computer science at Makerere University, said the data needed to understand Kampala’s pollution problem was largely unavailable, while conventional monitoring stations were expensive and difficult to maintain at the scale required by African cities.
The AirQo team subsequently developed lower-cost monitors designed for African operating conditions, including dust, power interruptions and limited internet connectivity.
The initiative has also deployed mobile monitors mounted on motorcycles, commonly known as boda bodas, allowing researchers to map pollution at street level. Data collected through the network is made available through open-data platforms, dashboards, mobile tools and application programming interfaces.
Artificial intelligence and machine-learning models are used to calibrate sensors, check data quality, forecast pollution levels, identify pollution hotspots and determine where additional monitoring equipment is needed.
AirQo’s monitors complement reference-grade monitoring stations used by governments, while the data helps authorities identify areas with high pollution levels and plan interventions in areas such as traffic management, waste collection, public health and urban planning.
Bainomugisha said the recognition would help AirQo expand its work and develop more African expertise in air quality monitoring.
“Air pollution has remained invisible across too many African cities because the data needed to understand it has been scarce,” he said.
“AirQo was built in Africa for the realities of African cities, bringing together locally designed monitors, open data and artificial intelligence so that evidence can move from the street into public decisions.”
He added: “Being named an Earthshot Prize Finalist will help us scale this infrastructure, equip more African technologists and city leaders, and make reliable air quality data a public good.”
More than 500 monitors
AirQo currently operates more than 500 air quality monitors in more than 16 cities across nine African countries, including Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa.
The initiative says its network provides real-time air quality information to communities with a combined population of more than 30 million people.
In Uganda, AirQo’s evidence and technical expertise contributed to the development of the country’s first national air quality regulations and has informed city-level traffic management measures in Kampala.
The initiative, however, says monitoring alone does not reduce emissions. Instead, it provides governments, researchers and communities with evidence needed to identify pollution sources and design interventions.
AirQo plans to expand its monitoring networks to 10 additional African cities, with a long-term target of reaching more than 50 cities by 2030.
It also plans to launch an open-source air quality platform featuring a conversational artificial intelligence interface that would allow city leaders to ask practical questions about pollution exposure and possible responses.
Building African expertise
AirQo is also expanding training for African technology specialists. Its Makerere University DevCon programme has so far reached more than 50 students through software and hardware training in sensor assembly, diagnostics, maintenance and repair.
The initiative is also building the Africa Clean Air Network, a community of practice bringing together 30 cities to share knowledge and connect policy, science and financing.
AirQo says it has secured $6 million in support from partners including Google.org, the World Bank and the Clean Air Fund, alongside support from the US Department of State, Arm, Enable and other institutions.
Earthshot finalists
The Earthshot Prize was established in 2020 to identify and support solutions to major environmental challenges around the world.
This year’s 15 finalists were selected from nearly 7,000 nominations from 169 countries. The selection process was supported by a global network of more than 363 nominators and an Expert Advisory Panel of more than 150 specialists.
The finalists are aligned to five Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.
Five winners will be announced at the 2026 Earthshot Prize Awards in Mumbai, India, in November.