In spite of the global outcry for urgent action against air pollution, most African countries lack functional air quality monitoring stations and data there from; making air quality management difficult. Therefore, stand-alone studies are reviewed to provide information on air pollutant levels, sources, spatial and seasonal variation across the continent.

Air quality studies are limited in Africa. Available data show that vehicular traffics, industries, wildfire and biomass burning are significant sources of PM, CO, NO₂, SO₂ and VOCs in the continent. Sahara Desert is an important source of PM in the region especially during harmattan periods. The air levels of pollutants exhibit seasonality and is inversely impacted by increased precipitation rate and wind speed. Exceedances of WHO AQG are common in both season.

The reported annual and 24-h mean concentrations of ambient PM are respectively lower than the relevant WHO AQG in only 10 and 13% for PM_2.5, and 0% and 12% for PM₁₀. Only a third of the towns have ambient CO concentrations below the 24-h WHO (7 mg/m³) AQG. Benzene levels at nearly all (96%) sites are a factor 2–920 times larger than 0.17 μg/m³ associated with an excess lifetime risk 1/1000 000.

The mean concentrations of indoor PM, CO, NO₂ and SO₂ exceed the relevant WHO AQG and much more in firewood-fueled poorly-ventilated kitchens in the rural areas, implying a potentially high exposure to women and children in Africa.

尽管全球迫切要求采取紧急行动以消除空气污染，但大多数非洲国家仍缺乏功能正常的空气质量监测站和该处的数据；使空气质量管理变得困难。因此，将对独立研究进行审查，以提供有关整个大陆的空气污染物水平，来源，空间和季节变化的信息。

非洲的空气质量研究非常有限。现有数据显示，汽车交通，工业，野火和生物质燃烧是非洲大陆PM，CO，NO ₂，SO ₂和VOC的重要来源。撒哈拉沙漠是该地区PM的重要来源，特别是在哈马坦时期。污染物的空气水平表现出季节性，并且受到降水率和风速增加的不利影响。在两个季节中都超过了WHO AQG。

所报告的年度和24小时的平均浓度环境PM的分别低于世界卫生组织相关AQG在仅10和用于PM 13％_2.5，和0％和PM 12％₁₀。只有三分之一的城镇的环境CO浓度低于WHO的24小时AQG（7 mg /m³）。几乎所有（96％）场所的苯水平是0.17μg/m³的2–920倍，这与1/1000 000的超生风险相关。

室内PM，CO，NO ₂和SO ₂的平均浓度超过了相关的WHO AQG，在农村地区以木柴为燃料的通风不良厨房中的平均浓度更高，这意味着非洲的妇女和儿童可能有很高的暴露水平。