Air pollution mitigation actions for megacities in Africa : Abidjan, as a real world laboratory study – APIMAMA

Project APIMAMA (Air PollutIon Mitigation Actions for Megacities in Africa: Abidjan, as a real-world laboratory study)
Key words: air pollution, exposure, sanitary risks, particulate pollution, vulnerability, emissions, attenuation, adaptation, infrastructures, mobility, ecosystemic approach, sustainable city.
ANR partners : Université de Toulouse/Laboratoire d’Aérologie, CNRS/GET, Montpellier University/IDESP, Université de Paris/BFA/RMCX
Partners with external source of funding: Abidjan : UFHB/LAPA-MF, UFHB/Sciences Médicales, Institut Pasteur, UFHB/ISAD, Université Nangui Abrogoua, Hôpital de Cocody, MEDD et CSRS ; Bouaké : Institut national de l’hygiène publique.
Requested budget: 669,076 k€
Project duration: from 01/01/2022 to 31/12/2025

The main objective of the APIMAMA (Air PollutIon Mitigation Actions for Megacities in Africa: Abidjan, as a real-world laboratory study) project is to contribute to a reduction of health risks associated with air pollution through the implementation of emission mitigation strategies and adaptation of the populations in their daily activities together with public actions on urban space organization. This project is centered on African cities where previous studies have shown that air pollution, already very high, is likely to increase dramatically through the combined effects of population growth and high rates of urbanization in this region of the world. To achieve this goal, the APIMAMA project proposes a methodology and strategy applied to the city of Abidjan, capital of Côte d'Ivoire, which could be extended to other cities in Africa with similar characteristics. Pollution related to particulate matter, which constitutes the predominant health risk, will be studied as a priority in the project.
This project combines research and societal issues, environmental and sociological issues, with a multi-faceted and multi-scale approach. Adopting an ecosociosystemic approach, the objectives of the project are: (1) To bring together researchers from various disciplines (physicochemists, doctors, biologists, epidemiologists and sociologists) as well as the main actors of the city (civil society and public authorities) to jointly define how the project will be implemented on the basis of scientific measurements and surveys to the definition and experimentation of mitigation/adaptation measures; (2) To set up an interdisciplinary methodology to test the impact of improved technologies and practices on the reduction of the health risks, with a detailed study on domestic and commercial cooking activities carried out by women. This objective will be based on innovative studies linking the understanding of personal exposure of populations and their health status to vulnerability factors versus individual exposure mitigation strategies and conditions for future development of practices; (3) To map urban-scale emission sources; (4) To evaluate the impact of these emissions and of the various emission scenarios identified by the different actors of the project, by taking into account new infrastructures, technologies and practices (evolution of car fleet and road improvement, residential and commercial activities, waste management ...) on air pollution and health; (5) To identify the tools and constraints for future implementation of strategies to mitigate health risks based on changing equipment, infrastructures, practices, etc. ; (6) For open science accessible to all, to include the use of social networks as a working tool for the groups of women under study, a communication tool for the partners and to organize educational and awareness workshops for the youngest and the occupational groups respectively.