Urban Waste Management, Air Quality, and Public Health: Assessing the Health Burden of Rapid Urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa.

, frequently exceeding World Health Organization guidelines. Resulting exposures are associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, childhood infections, and premature mortality, disproportionately affecting low-income settlements. These inequities reflect deficits in governance and infrastructure. The study highlights the cumulative health burden of urbanization and calls for strengthened waste systems, reduced open burning, improved monitoring, and integration of health considerations into urban planning to support sustainable African cities. A comparative analysis of waste management, air quality, and related health impacts is conducted across four rapidly urbanizing SSA cities.