Photo Caption: An AirQo Engineer installing the air quality monitor.
NAIROBI, October 28th,2026 — AirQo, a Uganda-based air quality monitoring initiative, has been named a ffinalispl for the 2026 Earthshot Prize for developing affor dable technology to track air pollution and help African cities improve environmental management.
Founded at Makerere University in 2015, AirQo operates more than 500 air quality monitors across 16 African cities, providing real-time pollution information to communities with a combined population of more than 30 million people in nine countries.
Speaking about the recognition, Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, Founder and Lead of AirQo and Professor of Computer Science at Makerere University, said the initiative was established to address the shortage of reliable air quality data in African cities.
“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 said.
Bainomugisha said the recognition would help the organisation expand its infrastructure, equip more African technologists and strengthen partnerships to make reliable air quality information accessible to more communities
.In Kenya, AirQo has partnered with Nairobi City County Government and other stakeholders to install more than 100 monitors across Nairobi, Kisumu, Kilifi, Kajiado and Kiambu counties.
The network provides localised data to help county officials identify pollution hotspots, track trends and inform policy decisions. Researchers and residents can also access the information through public platforms to better understand the air they breathe.
AirQo combines fixed monitors with mobile devices mounted on motorcycle taxis, locally known as boda bodas, to collect street-level pollution data. Artificial intelligence and machine-learning models help calibrate sensors, forecast pollution levels, assess data quality and identify areas requiring additional monitoring.
The data can inform traffic management, waste services, public health interventions and urban planning. AirQo’s work has also supported the development of Uganda’s first national air quality regulations and informed traffic management measures in Kampala.
Air pollution was the second-leading risk factor for death across Africa in 2019, contributing to an estimated 1.1 million deaths. However, many cities lack adequate monitoring infrastructure to identify pollution hotspots and assess the effectiveness of interventions.
AirQo plans to expand its monitoring networks to 10 additional African cities, develop an open-source platform featuring a conversational artificial intelligence interface and train more African specialists to build and maintain clean-air technology.
The organisation has secured US$6 million in support from partners including Google.org, the World Bank and the Clean Air Fund, alongside other institutions.
President and Founder of The Earthshot Prize Prince William said the finalists demonstrated that practical solutions could help address pressing environmental challenges.
“Seeing solutions work gives us all confidence to act. When they succeed, they inspire others and accelerate change,” he said.
Founded in 2020, The Earthshot Prize recognises solutions ifive categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate.
AirQo was selected in the Clean Our Air category from nearly 7,000 nominations across 169 countries. Five winners will be announced at the 2026 Awards Night in Mumbai, India, on November 17.
