Sustainable Health Systems, Sierra Leone

The award will support Sustainable Health Systems–Sierra Leone to deploy Sierra Leone’s first reference-grade PM₂.₅ monitor and integrate it with low-cost sensors across Freetown. The project will generate 12 months of continuous, quality-assured air-quality data and make it openly accessible to communities, researchers, and decision-makers. It will strengthen local technical capacity and bring together relevant institutions to support its use in air-quality policy, regulation, and decision-making. By combining reliable monitoring, open data, capacity strengthening, and coordinated engagement, the project aims to strengthen air-quality management in Sierra Leone and translate local evidence into action for cleaner air and healthier communities.

Effective clean-air action depends on trusted local evidence. This project gives Sierra Leone a timely opportunity to strengthen that evidence by deploying the country’s first reference-grade PM₂.₅ monitor, generating openly accessible air-quality data, and building local capacity to use the information. Our goal is to go beyond simply measuring pollution by creating a stronger foundation for coordinated action and informed decision-making. By the end of the project, we hope Sierra Leone will be better equipped to sustain air-quality monitoring and translate reliable local evidence into practical actions that protect health and contribute to cleaner, healthier communities.

Capt. Matilda Mattu Moiwo, Environmental Scientist, Sustainable Health Systems, Sierra Leone