Dirtiest city in Africa: 20 most polluted African cities

Dirtiest city in Africa; Nigeria leads

Every human being has experienced the side effects of pollution in Africa. The climate has changed, and human illness and disease are on the rise. Discover the dirtiest city in Africa in 2022. The ranking is based on the level of uncontrolled garbage on the streets and air and water pollution.

20. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Addis Ababa is one of the dirtiest capital cities in Africa in 2022. It is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. The metro area population in 2022 is 5,228,000.

The high human population and lack of proper waste management and environmental conservation efforts have led to environmental pollution.

19. Yaounde, Cameroon Yaounde is the capital of Cameroon, a Central African country. According to the last census in the country, this urban centre had a human population of 4,389,200.

The lack of political will and finance hinders investment in waste collection and recycling infrastructure in the city and the rest of the nation. Yaounde has been struggling with plastic pollution for years.

18. Buchanan, Liberia Buchanan, previously known as Grand Bassa, is the third-largest city in Liberia. There is plenty of air, noise, land, and marine pollution in this urban area.

The country experienced decades of civil unrest and health crises. During this period, no environmental conservation efforts were enforced. This urban centre and the entire country have a long way to go in rebuilding the nation.

17. Afikpo, Nigeria Ehugbo, or Afikpo, is the second largest urban area in Ebonyi State in Nigeria. As of the last population census in 2006, the human population of the area is estimated at 156,611. It is projected to have increased since then.

Research indicates the water in this area has a worrying concentration of heavy metals. The garbage management system needs a lot of improvement. The air quality in this urban centre is currently eight times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

16. Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg, also known as The City of Gold, is South Africa's biggest city and the capital of Gauteng province. This urban centre started as a 19th-century gold-mining settlement and is the country's chief industrial and financial metropolis.

Johannesburg's landfill sites are bulging with plastic waste. The city's biggest landfill site is located in the Turffontein area. Moreover, the high air pollution levels in Johannesburg have reduced life expectancy by 3.2 years.

15. Abakaliki, Nigeria Abakaliki is the capital of Ebonyi State in southeastern Nigeria. This urban centre is known for agriculture and local lead, zinc, salt, and limestone mining.

The effects of mining have been witnessed over the years. The land has been left bare, water sources have been adulterated, and so has the air. The noise levels in the area are high due to mining operations.

14. Ile Ife, Nigeria Ile-Ife, also known as Ife or Ife-Lodun, is an urban centre in Osun State, southwestern Nigeria. Ile-Ife’s inhabitants are primarily town-dwelling farmers. The metro area population of Ile Ife in 2022 is 397,000.

This urban area is one of the oldest towns. It is termed one of the dirtiest urban areas on the continent. The local administration has a long way to go towards making it a clean and safe area for every human being.

13. Bafoussam, Cameroon Bafoussam is the capital and largest city of the West Region of Cameroon. Noise, land, and air pollution in this area have caused the degradation of the local flora and the imbalance of the fauna.

China Longteng, a Chinese-owned firm, operates a gravel quarry on an industrial scale over an area of 12 hectares. This has affected plant life and adulterated Tchipou’s water resources down to the water table.

12. Auchi, Nigeria Auchi is a city in Edo State in Nigeria. Uncontrolled land use in this urban centre has generated many environmental problems. These are seen in the garbage piles, poor circulatory systems, erosion, and flooding in the area.

11. Nsukka, Nigeria Nsukka is a Local Government Area in Enugu State. This urban area has numerous environmental hazards. The waste management systems are still struggling to achieve their vision and mandate despite efforts of the state government to mitigate pollution. The sanitation of the town leaves a lot to be desired.

10. Hartebeespoort, South Africa Hartbeespoort is a South African resort town situated north of Johannesburg. It is also called Harties. This urban area is battling sewerage, nuclear, noise, and air pollution. The Hartbeespoort Dam is visibly polluted, and it exposes people to diseases and illnesses. The Pelindaba nuclear plant, for instance, was licensed to routinely dump vast quantities of nuclear waste into the Crocodile River, just next to the Hartebeespoort Dam.

9. Accra, Ghana Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana. It is known for its colourful textile and used or second-hand clothing markets. The city has the worst air pollution in Ghana,

Dangerous levels of toxic air from rubbish fires, car exhaust, road dust, and soot from biomass-fuelled cookstoves is killing thousands of people in Ghana every year. The streets also have heaps of rubbish that is not well disposed of.

8. Bamenda, Cameroon Bamenda is also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town. It is a city in northwestern Cameroon and is the Northwest Region's capital. In Cameroon, approximately 7,000 deaths annually are associated with air pollution. The purity and cleanliness in Bamenda in below average.

7. Dakar, Senegal Dakar is the capital of Senegal, a West African country. Dakar has astonishing levels of outdoor pollutants or particulate matter. People inhale microscopic particles into the lungs resulting in serious health problems.

The streets of this urban centre are also filled with garbage that is not well-managed. According to the World Health Organisation, a safe level of PM10 should be 20, and the level of PM 2.5 should be 10. In Dakar, the average levels are 146 for PM10, i.e. seven times more than recommended.


6. Owerri, Nigeria Owerri is the capital of Imo State in Nigeria. In this city, the only mode of disposal of waste by the relevant authorities is dumping it into landfills. This method constitutes more pollution. The authorities should treat and recycle wastes into useful products, e.g. biogas and biofuel, to mitigate the situation.

5. Kampala, Uganda Kampala is Uganda's national and commercial capital. The current metro area population of Kampala in 2022 is 3,652,000 people. Kampala ranks among the world's most polluted cities, and approximately 28,000 people die each year in the country due to air pollution. Its pollution levels are up to seven times higher than the World Health Organisation's standards.

4. Umuahia, Nigeria Umuahia is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. It had a human population of 359,230, according to the 2006 Nigerian census. The population has since increased, and congestion in this urban are is partly to blame for the pollution levels.

The city lacks proper waste management policies and procedures. As a result, slums and informal settlements with poor sewerage systems and garbage disposal are lacking. In 2016, the World Health Organisation ranked Umuahia 16th on the list of the most polluted cities.

3. Aba, Nigeria Aba is an urban area in the southeast of Nigeria. It is the commercial centre of Abia State. Aba river continuously undergoes pollution from effluents from activities around the river, and this has become a public health hazard. The air and streets are also heavily polluted. Unless the relevant authorities take quick action, human, plant, and animal lives will be on the line.

2. Kaduna, Nigeria Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State in Nigeria. The current metro area population of Kaduna in 2022 is 1,158,000 people. High levels of heavy metals and temperature in River Kaduna could be traced to urban and industrial wastes. The air is also polluted, and some streets are filled with plastic and other wastes from households and businesses.

1. Onitsha, Nigeria Onitsha is a city located on the eastern bank of the Niger River in Anambra State. This urban centre is grossly polluted in terms of air quality, noise, and solid waste that litter the streets, blocking drainages and canals. The city’s government has plenty of work to do to redeem this city from its current situation. In 2016, the World Health Organisation named it the most polluted city on the continent.