… According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Clean Air Fund, air pollution is now the second leading risk factor for death and disability in Ghana, contributing to an estimated 28,000 premature deaths annually; a toll that exceeds the combined mortality burden of mala …
… Desmond Appiah, Country Lead for the Clean Air Fund in Ghana, says data infrastructure like this has been missing for too long, and the consequences are real. …
… Speaking at the workshop, the Country Lead for the Clean Air Fund in Ghana, Desmond Appiah, said the project is important because many sensors developed abroad may not perform the same way in Africa. …
… An MPhil student in meteorology and climate science at KNUST, she is working on the Ghana Air Quality Data Hub, a centralised platform developed in partnership with the EPA and the Clean Air Fund that aims to bring together air quality data currently scattered across institutions …
Ghana's Environmental Protection Authority reports that particulate matter concentrations exceed the national air quality standard of 35 micrograms per cubic metre in most monitoring locations, and virtually the entire population in urban and rural areas is exposed to levels exceeding the World Health Organisation's guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic metre.
Why it matters
Ghana's air pollution exceeding national standards across most locations affects public health for the entire population.
Ghana's Environmental Protection Authority reports that particulate matter concentrations exceed the national air quality standard of 35 micrograms per cubic metre in most monitoring locations, and virtually the entire population in urban and rural areas is exposed to levels exceeding the World Health Organisation's guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic metre.
The Environmental Protection Authority has reiterated that open burning of waste is illegal across Ghana and warned that offenders face fines, prosecution and possible custodial sentences under existing environmental and sanitation laws. The EPA says enforcement power rests with environmental health officers, though effective enforcement depends partly on inconsistent public reporting.
Researchers at Ghana's Atomic Energy Commission warn that radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that seeps from the ground into homes, poses a hidden health risk and can increase lung cancer risk even among non-smokers. Ghana has produced a preliminary radon map identifying areas with higher concentrations, including Weija and Kasoa.
Ghana's Environmental Protection Authority has partnered with Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory to map PM2.5 pollution levels across the entire country from 2005 onward, addressing a long-standing data gap. Air pollution kills approximately 32,000 Ghanaians annually and costs the country an estimated 2.5 billion US dollars annually, about 4.5 per cent of GDP.
Breathe Accra is expanding its air quality monitoring network across Accra with funding from Breathe Cities, providing thirteen municipal assemblies with additional monitoring equipment in phase two. The expansion addresses a long-standing lack of real-time pollution data needed by authorities to enforce air quality regulations and respond to sources like open burning and vehicle emissions.
Experts warn that widespread crop-waste and slash-and-burn farming practices across Ghana are fueling public health and environmental crises. A study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research found that burning one kilogramme of crop residue produces smoke levels over 100 times higher than WHO safety thresholds, causing illness, deaths, and climate damage.
Electric bikes are becoming more common in Bawku, a northeastern Ghana town, partly due to security restrictions on petrol-powered motorbikes following years of tribal conflict. Users report cleaner air and quieter commutes, with entrepreneurs like Hakeem Girma importing e-bikes to meet growing demand.
The Air Quality Sensor Evaluation and Training Facility for West Africa at the University of Ghana held a four-day workshop from May 18 to May 21, 2026, bringing together researchers, students, policymakers and media practitioners to address the challenge of measuring air pollution across West Africa, where many institutions lack expertise to deploy sensors and interpret air quality data.
Six young Ghanaians selected as Air Quality Ambassadors at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology are championing action on air pollution, which the State of Global Air report estimates kills approximately 32,000 Ghanaians annually. The issue remains largely invisible in public discourse despite air pollution being one of Ghana's leading environmental health threats and costing the country billions in productivity and healthcare.
Residents of Asaloko, a community of about 1,200 people, collect empty water sachets and exchange them with a nearby sachet-water company for fresh drinking water supplies. The program removes as much as 5 tonnes of sachets from the community annually, addressing Ghana's broader plastic waste challenge, where roughly 840,000 tonnes are generated yearly with less than 10 per cent recycled.