Abidjan - Post Report Question and Answers
What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
Post recently got the AQI system. Moderate most of the year, terrible during the harmattan. There is frequent open burning of trash, which is a consideration. - Mar 2021
At our house it is awful because of the construction, I am not sure but do not think it is likely too good anywhere in this city. Having said that, it is not nearly as bad as larger industrial cities. NO impact on health I am aware of. - May 2020
People complain about it, although I didn't think it was that bad. Yes, air can be bad from the lack of any kind of pollution controls and the smoke belching taxis and mopeds. However, in general there isn't much traditional pollution. Air can be quite bad during the "harmattan" season when the sands blow in from the Sahara. Otherwise, I do not think that the air quality is a major issue - anyone who insists that it is hasn't lived in China. - Feb 2020
Air quality is awful with the pollution from cars and burning trash. There is also the seasonal "harmattan" dust that comes in January and February which makes the air brown. Anyone with asthma issues should be aware. - Mar 2017
90 percent of the time it's good, if only a little humid. For about a month in January there's the Harmattan sand mist that darkens the city, cools things down, and can get in your lungs. Then there are the locals that occasionally burn their trash, which can make certain neighborhoods lousy for a few hours. There's a whole part of Zone 4 that smells like brownies at night, due to the cocoa processing plant there. - Aug 2015
