Strengthening Health Systems to Address Air Pollution in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, air pollution kills more than 88 thousand people every year (State of Global Air 2025 report).

To strengthen the Ethiopian health system’s response to air pollution problem, five policy briefs detailing system-level interventions were developed by the team officially established by Vital Strategies in partnership with the Ministry of Health under the ENABLE  project, following the launch of the Policy Accelerator to Promote Clear Action Ethiopia. The aim of these briefs to lay out actionable context-based solutions for integrating clean air action into routine public health practice.

Download the policy briefs:

• Household Air Pollution and Health – Expanding Awareness and Changing Behavior
• Integrating Household Air Pollution Into Health Strategies and Policies in Ethiopia
• Strengthening Routine Reporting on Household Air Pollution Exposure Risk and Health Impacts
• Regulating Incense and Biomass Fuel Burning in Food and Drinking Establishments in Ethiopia
• Strengthening Ethiopia’s Health Workforce to Address Air Pollution in Health Care Settings

A focus on leading sources of exposure to air pollution in Ethiopia were prioritized by the team.  For example, many of the briefs focus on household air pollution, since burning biomass fuels for cooking remains the leading source of air pollution in the country. Over 90% of households depend on such fuels for heating and cooking, primarily wood, charcoal, agriculture residues, and animal dung.  Another brief focuses on the regulation of another prevalent sources of indoor air pollution, namely incense burning. 

These policy briefs are part of the Enabling Environments for Noncommunicable Disease (NCD) Risk Reduction in Ethiopia (ENABLE) Project. It aims to reduce the burden of NCDs in Ethiopia by reducing the lifelong prevalence of major NCD risk factors among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries through multi-level actions to promote healthy diets, physical activity and reduce air pollution in a clean and supportive urban environment.