The population, unable to afford newer, cleaner, fuel-efficient vehicles, are thus left vulnerable to the adverse effects of transport- related air pollution (Haq and Schwela 2012).
Fuel quality is a major issue in terms of air pollution. The sulphur in the fuel of some African countries is as much as three hundred times the sulphur in the fuel of North-American and European countries (Abdoun 2018), which exposes people in these African countries to more health risks (See Table 1 below for data on maximum sulphur limits in gasoline in selected African countries).
Many of Africa’s youth are employed within the informal public transport industry that emerged to fill the gaps in the public transportation system, and where they do not earn enough to save or build a functional society (United Nations Human Settlements Programme [UN Habitat] 2000).
For youth employed within the public transport industry, either as drivers or conductors, the level of exposure to air pollution from dirty fuels coupled with polluting vehicles is extensive. Airborne Sulphur compounds when inhaled irritate the respiratory system and can lead to long-term health complications such as swollen
lungs, breathing complications and even death (UNEP 2018). This is alarming in developing nations that are still struggling to clean up their vehicle fleet and fuels.
Today, Algeria is the only African country that is still using leaded petrol. The rest have phased it out (UNEP 2016c). Eleven countries have adopted 50 ppm sulphur-content fuels or lower while 2 cities (Nairobi and Accra) are already developing soot-free bus strategies for their cities (UNEP 2017; Climate and Clean Air Coalition 2017). In addition, over 20 countries in Africa are engaged in reviewing their vehicle import policies in a bid to attract cleaner and more fuel- efficient vehicles (Climate and Clean Air Coalition 2018). Through 'Share the Road' initiatives, Lagos (Nigeria) and Nairobi (Kenya) are developing citywide non-motorized transport policies, while Uganda has taken it a notch higher to develop a nationwide policy (UNEP 2019).
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) together with UNEP and other partners are currently engaged in formulating harmonized fuel grades and vehicle emission standards to reduce the negative impact of transport on air quality (UNEP 2018). African young people should engage in advocacy efforts to
Table 1: Maximum sulphur limits in gasoline in selected African countries, 2018 Maximum sulphur ppm
Countries 0-10 11-30 31-50 51-150 151-500 501-3500 No information / Not regulated Tunisia - Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Libya, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Mali, Niger, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo
Chad, Central African Republic, Guinea, Liberia, Somalia, South Sudan Source: Data from Abdoun (2018) 19
A Breath of Fresh Air
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