 A significant burden of air pollution deaths occur in Africa. In response, Africa is developing a first of its kind integrated assessment of air pollution and climate change that illustrates how the continent can achieve key development goals, provide clean air for its people and help the global fight against climate change and ecosystem degradation. We are at a point where we need to urgently increase the pace and scale of actions and this assessment makes an important contribution to do exactly that as it identifies development priorities and key actions that work on two fronts. That is how to reduce our high levels of air pollution now in the short term within the next decade and at the same time also reducing climate forcing emissions to make good on the Paris Agreement. The Africa integrated assessment of air pollution and climate change is led by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition in partnership with the African Union Commission, UN Environment Program and the Stockholm Environment Institute. It brings together scientists, policy leaders and practitioners working across Africa to consider the continent's rapid development and the associated air pollution challenges and climate risk. The African integrated assessment on air pollution and climate change will determine how development in Africa can proceed while limiting the negative impact on air pollution, on climate, on health, agriculture, environment, forestry and livelihoods. The assessment includes a focus on short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon or soot and methane. These air pollutants have a short lifespan in the atmosphere from a few days to less than a decade. These pollutants contribute to air pollution-related deaths, illness and lost work days and are powerful climate forces. The assessment will consider how cleaner measures in clean polluting sectors such as transport, household energy use, industry and waste disposal can deliver socio-economic and environmental benefits for the African population. The importance of the assessment to African polysumic cars was noted by the African Ministry of Conference on Environment or AMSEN in a decision that acknowledged the importance of short-lived climate pollutants and the need for assessment of the linkage between policies to address air pollution and policies to address climate change during its 17th session in Durban, South Africa in 2019. Africa is facing a serious challenge with air pollution that has not actually attracted so much attention because of lack of information and general terms for the policy and decision-making people. The increasing air pollution in the continent is beginning to manifest itself in the negative impact on human health, climate, agriculture and even to the extent that some of the ecosystems are adversely impacted. The cause of inaction in terms of air quality cannot be overemphasized because right now as we speak it's estimated that over 600,000 people die in Africa as a result of air pollution exposure. It has got adverse impact already on the GDP. On average, 4% of the GDP in Africa is lost because of air pollution. The situation has even been made worse by the COVID-19 impact. A number of cases have spiked due to exposure to adverse air quality The Africa Integrated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate Change is an initiative which is aiming at addressing the issue of lack of information by providing cutting-edge science to the decision-making processes in terms of air quality management in the continent. The assessment will provide a very clear and practical roadmap for action which can be taken in collaboration with different stakeholders because tackling air pollution in Africa needs access to timely and scientific information and the engagement of all stakeholders. It is important that the people who are adversely impacted by the problem of air quality are actually aware of the situation because some of the component of air quality is not seen. When somebody does not see something, he does not appreciate the adverse impact it is likely to have on his health. So, impacting knowledge to the people who are adversely impacted is very key and the assessment process is going to generate this scientific information which can be directly communicated to the different stakeholders and those who are adversely impacted. At the 15th session of AMSEN in 2015 in Cairo, Egypt, ministers called for enhanced air quality monitoring and modelling and the need to develop an Africa-wide air quality framework agreement on air quality management in their declaration. This issue was further addressed at the 16th session of AMSEN in 2017 in Libreville, Gabo where ministers acknowledged the region was facing increasing levels of air pollution which has a negative effect on the environment, social and economic development as well as on human health and the well-being of the African population. Air pollution in all it forms a dangerous quality of life in many ways. Therefore, urgent action is needed to prevent the 7 million premature deaths that it causes every year. In Africa, this is a very acute situation. The most vulnerable segment of our population, for example, women and children are at a higher risk of contracting respiratory diseases because they are exposed daily to indoor air pollution from, for example, burning biomass from wood and charcoal for cooking and heating and also fossil fuels for lighting like paraffin. Exposure to outdoor air pollution, especially from burning plastics in dam sites and also burning agricultural residues, what sense this situation? This assessment by climate and cleaning coalition in partnership with the UNEP, Stockholm Environment Institute and the African Union Commission is very, very timely. It will inform our decisions on developing ecosystems restoration policies impactful development and also investments that will support Agenda 2063 and the global good.