Urban Waste Management, Air Quality, and Public Health: Assessing the Health Burden of Rapid Urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Rapid urbanization in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is placing increasing pressure on waste management systems and urban air quality, with significant health implications. This study integrates cross-city analysis of waste systems, air quality, and health burdens in rapidly urbanizing SSA. It examines the links between waste practices, pollution, and health outcomes in fast-growing SSA cities using international and national data sources. Inadequate collection, open dumping and burning, and poorly regulated landfills elevate pollutant concentrations, particularly PM2.5, frequently exceeding World Health Organization guidelines. Resulting exposures are associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, childhood infections, and premature mortality, disproportionately affecting low-income settlements. These inequities reflect deficits in governance and infrastructure. The study highlights the cumulative health burden of urbanization and calls for strengthened waste systems, reduced open burning, improved monitoring, and integration of health considerations into urban planning to support sustainable African cities. A comparative analysis of waste management, air quality, and related health impacts is conducted across four rapidly urbanizing SSA cities.