Ghana faces a growing public health emergency as air pollution-related deaths surge, particularly in urban areas, amid inadequate enforcement of environmental regulations and limited public awareness.
Air pollution deaths in Ghana are surging dramatically, with the World Health Organization estimating about 28,000 premature deaths annually due to air pollution-related illnesses, equivalent to one death every 19 minutes.
Ghana’s air quality has worsened for the third consecutive year, making it the 14th most polluted country globally with PM2.5 levels seven times above WHO’s safe limit, exposing millions to toxic air daily.
Speaking at the inaugural public lecture of the Ghana Thoracic Society in Accra, Professor Kofi Amegah, a leading environmental health scientist, warned that air pollution remains a neglected yet deadly threat to respiratory health. He urged urgent policy responses and behavioral change to stem what he described as a “looming respiratory crisis.”
Amegah’s comments come amid mounting data showing alarming pollution levels across several Ghanaian cities. Through the GAMA-EMAN Air Quality Project, researchers have installed sensors in key urban areas including Accra, Tamale, Kasoa, Tema, and Dzorwulu. The team is also set to launch the Ghana AirQ Mobile App, which will allow users to monitor pollution levels in real time—a tool that could help vulnerable groups, such as asthma patients, make safer daily decisions.
“Real-time air quality data can be life-saving,” Amegah said, citing the example of parents checking morning pollution levels before sending asthmatic children to school.
Backed by data, pollution hotspots such as Madina, La Paz, and Nima have been identified, areas where residents are exposed to high concentrations of particulate matter. In response, the project has initiated risk communication and community engagement efforts to raise awareness and promote safer behaviors, including encouraging the use of nose masks and switching to cleaner cooking fuels.
Despite the growing evidence, Amegah lamented weak institutional accountability. “There are lots of laws in Ghana on air pollution,” he said, “but enforcement remains poor.” He stressed that while the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has historically led the fight, district assemblies must now take up a more active role, as outlined in a new legislative framework.
Local governments, he said, are better positioned to enforce bylaws on open burning, waste disposal, and vehicular emissions, and are already being engaged through training of environmental health officers.
The Clean Air Fund, a global philanthropic initiative supporting the project, has played a behind-the-scenes role in expanding data access and building capacity among local journalists and policymakers. Before the project, Ghana recorded fewer than 10 media reports on air pollution annually. That figure has more than doubled.
To further combat pollution, Amegah’s team is exploring nutritional interventions. A study involving 300 mothers in Accra is testing whether diets rich in antioxidant vitamins can help reduce the adverse health effects of pollution in children. Early, unpublished results show improvements in some health indicators among participants receiving the dietary intervention.
Still, Amegah acknowledged that progress has been slow due to budget constraints and limited political will. He emphasized the need for sustained research to generate local evidence that can compel policymakers to act—much like has been done for malaria and HIV.
In a final call to action, he urged citizens to adopt active transport methods and clean household energy solutions. “We need to walk, cycle, and use public transport more often,” he said. “That’s how we reduce our pollution footprint and protect our lungs.”
