Sunday, 23 August 2026

Ghana’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026

Sunday, 23 August 2026

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Ghanaian press · Organization

Clean Air Fund

Clean Air Fund — organization providing air quality funding and research coordination across Africa, noted for highlighting continental underfunding and Ghana's pollution costs.

2026-05-082026-08-23

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

May 2026
29 MayJoy Online
… This story was a collaboration with New Narratives, with funding from the Clean Air Fund. …
Ghana farmers’ burning practices fuel growing air pollution and environmental crises
25 MayJoy Online
… Funding was provided by the Clean Air Fund, which had no say in the story’s content.
Cleaner air, lower costs: Electric bikes find early adopters in Ghana’s north
20 MayJoy Online
… 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. …
Afri-SET holds third regional workshop on Air quality sensors and data analysis for West Africa
18 MayJoy Online
… 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 …
The six KNUST air quality ambassadors championing clean air action across Ghana and West Africa
8 MayJoy Online
… Funding came from the Clean Air Fund, which had no say in the story’s content.
The village showing Ghana how to turn plastic into “gold” while also cleaning the air

Agriculture & Land

Pesticide exposure linked to respiratory illness in Ghanaian farmers

The News

A University of Ghana public health lecturer warns that farmers' exposure to pesticide drift contributes to respiratory illnesses and air pollution in Ghana, noting that most farmers do not use protective gear when spraying chemicals. Health experts link chemical exposure to respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other long-term diseases, with air pollution causing an estimated 28,000 deaths yearly in Ghana.

21 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 21 August

Pesticide exposure linked to respiratory illness in Ghanaian farmers
A University of Ghana public health lecturer warns that farmers' exposure to pesticide drift contributes to respiratory illnesses and air pollution in Ghana, noting that most farmers do not use protective gear when spraying chemicals. Health experts link chemical exposure to respiratory illnesses, cancer, and other long-term diseases, with air pollution causing an estimated 28,000 deaths yearly in Ghana.
21 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 18 August

Firefighters need stronger air quality and occupational health protections
The Clean Air Fund's Country Lead has called for greater recognition and protection of firefighters in Ghana's air-quality and occupational health policies, saying they face significant health and safety risks from prolonged exposure to smoke and harmful pollutants but remain inadequately protected.
18 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 17 August

Ghana's firefighters face hidden health risks with inadequate support
Firefighters in Ghana, including 15-year veteran Station Officer Abubakar Mohammed, worry about developing lung disease from smoke exposure without adequate equipment like breathing apparatus, yet occupational health concerns are rarely studied or discussed in the country.
17 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 14 August

KNUST's West Africa Clean Air Centre seeks regional partnerships
The newly established West Africa Centre for Clean Air (WACCA), hosted by KNUST, is building regional partnerships and mobilising long-term support for air-quality management as global funding for clean-air action declines. Representatives attended the 2026 Africa Clean Air Forum in Pretoria to connect Ghana's emerging institution with continental organisations, researchers, and potential funders.
14 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Saturday 8 August

Delayed Ghana road projects expose residents to air pollution
Construction delays on government-funded infrastructure projects, including the Adentan–Dodowa dual carriageway, are leaving communities exposed to dust and harmful pollutants linked to diseases such as asthma, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Experts attribute delays to missed government payments to contractors, poor oversight and corruption.
8 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 7 August

Delayed government construction projects exposing Ghanaians to air pollution health risks
Stalled roadworks under Ghana's "Big Push" infrastructure program, delayed by missed government payments to contractors, are leaving communities covered in dust and harmful pollutants and exposing millions to increased risk of diseases linked to air pollution including asthma, heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
7 August 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 31 July

Women in Air Quality Initiative pushes for gender-responsive clean air policies
Women across Africa are calling for air quality policies that better address their specific exposure risks, arguing that gender differences in pollution exposure have been overlooked. Experts say women often face disproportionate air pollution due to caregiving roles, cooking with polluting fuels, and occupations that expose them to harmful emissions, yet these realities are rarely reflected in clean air policy design.
31 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Africa Clean Air Network unites 80+ institutions for air quality
The Africa Clean Air Network has brought together more than 80 institutions from across Africa and beyond to coordinate work on air pollution, strengthening research and accelerating policy action across the continent, according to network leaders at the Africa Clean Air Forum in Pretoria.
31 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Saturday 18 July

EPIC Air Quality Fund recognizes seven awardees for clean air impact
The EPIC Air Quality Fund celebrated seven projects from The Gambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Pakistan, Malawi, Nigeria, and Liberia at the Africa Clean Air Forum for achieving national-level clean air impacts. The 31 funded projects, selected from 322 applications across 74 countries, are expanding air quality monitoring infrastructure and driving policy change through open data.
18 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana EPA honoured for air pollution monitoring progress
Ghana's Environmental Protection Authority has been recognised at the Africa Clean Air Forum as one of seven organisations worldwide for significant progress in tackling air pollution, following the rollout of an air quality monitoring network in Tema. The recognition comes as Ghana begins implementing new air quality management regulations requiring industries to control emissions and vehicles to undergo emission testing.
18 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 14 July

Air quality experts convene in South Africa on African pollution crisis
Air quality experts from more than 40 countries gathered in Pretoria for the Africa Clean Air Forum 2026, held under the theme "Investment Case for Clean Air and Healthy Cities," as African countries face a mounting air pollution crisis. According to the Clean Air Fund's State of Global Air Quality Funding 2025 Report, the African region received less than 1% of global air quality funding despite experiencing high levels of pollutant exposure that caused 1.2 million premature deaths across the continent in 2023.
14 July 2026 · Joy Online →
E-waste burning at Agbogbloshie contaminates Ghana's food chain
Scientists say pollution from informal e-waste recycling at Agbogbloshie is contaminating both human breast milk and livestock milk in surrounding communities, with research from the University of Ghana and UNICEF findings showing that heavy metals and hazardous pollutants released during open burning accumulate in the environment and enter the food chain consumed by mothers, infants and residents.
14 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 10 July

Ambient air pollution costs Ghana nearly $2 billion yearly
According to a UNDP report cited by the Clean Air Fund's country lead, Ghana loses almost $2 billion annually to ambient air pollution through impacts on public health and the economy. The fund warns that open waste burning during sanitation exercises could worsen the problem and undermines regulatory enforcement.
10 July 2026 · Joy Online →
Clean Air Fund criticizes waste burning in nationwide clean-up
Desmond Appiah, Country Lead for the Clean Air Fund, has warned that burning waste during the nationwide clean-up exercise contradicts environmental objectives and creates new air pollution problems. He noted that the Environmental Protection Agency's recent Air Quality Regulations prohibit open burning, and that authorities should demonstrate best practices rather than engage in activities that violate national environmental standards.
10 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 3 July

Outdoor air pollution cost Ghana GH¢28bn, 13,000 lives in 2024
A UNDP report found that outdoor air pollution cost Ghana an estimated GH¢28 billion (2.3 per cent of GDP) in economic losses in 2024 and contributed to 12,870 deaths and over 316,000 disease cases, with stroke accounting for the largest share of pollution-related deaths.
3 July 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 30 June

Ghana's air pollution exceeds national standards in most locations
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.
30 June 2026 · Joy Online →

Tuesday 16 June

EPA warns open burning remains illegal with fines and jail risk
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.
16 June 2026 · Business & Financial Times →

Saturday 30 May

Scientists warn radon gas may increase lung cancer risks
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.
30 May 2026 · Joy Online →
EPA and Columbia University map Ghana air pollution nationwide
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.
30 May 2026 · Joy Online →
Municipal assemblies receive air quality monitoring equipment
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.
30 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 29 May

Ghana farmers' burning practices worsen air pollution and environmental damage
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.
29 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 25 May

Electric bikes gain traction in Ghana's northern Bawku town
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.
25 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Wednesday 20 May

Afri-SET holds third regional workshop on air quality sensors
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.
20 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Monday 18 May

Six KNUST air quality ambassadors promote clean air across Ghana, West Africa
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.
18 May 2026 · Joy Online →

Friday 8 May

Asaloko village exchanges plastic sachets for drinking water
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.
8 May 2026 · Joy Online →