ENABLE Project Advances Critical Clean Air Action in Ethiopia
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ENABLE has co-developed national clean air policy guidance into practical actions that strengthen health services and protect families from the everyday risks of air pollution.
The ENABLE project, a multi-partner initiative led by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and funded by the European Union, continues to strengthen Ethiopia’s public health response by integrating air pollution reduction directly into its core noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention strategy. This work forms a central pillar of ENABLE’s mission to reduce major NCD risk factors among pregnant women in urban Ethiopia.
A recent set of five policy briefs developed by the ENABLE Work Package 8 (WP8), Policy Engagement and Scale-Up, with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health outlines urgent system level interventions for reducing exposure to household and ambient air pollution—an issue responsible for more than 88,000 deaths annually in Ethiopia (State of Global Air, 2025). These briefs target key sources of exposure, such as biomass fuel use and incense burning, and propose integrating household air pollution into strategic health documents. As a result, the briefs reinforce improved reporting, regulation, and health workforce training to embed clean air action within routine health service delivery. In addition, the WP8 team conducted a legal analysis which summarizes national and sub-national laws, policies, and guidelines addressing air pollution and health effects in Ethiopia.
The briefs give crucial national guidance, and applying them in ENABLE’s real‑world settings will generate the evidence needed to scale effective interventions addressing air pollution and its contribution to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) – Dawit Siraw Workneh, Vital Strategies
This work aligns directly with ENABLE’s mandate to address structural drivers of NCDs by fostering healthier diets, increasing physical activity, and reducing exposure to air pollution among pregnant women across Addis Ababa, Adama, Harar, and Jimma. By integrating these new air quality policies and tools, ENABLE strengthens public health systems’ ability to manage environmental risks and improve maternal and community health which is an essential step toward meeting Ethiopia’s rising NCD burden.
To find the links to these policy briefs, please visit ENABLE’s Results and Findings page