A recent study has revealed that air pollution is now the leading cause of death in the country, overtaking HIV/AIDS, malaria and road traffic accidents.
According to the study, over 30,000 deaths annually in Ghana are now attributed to air pollution-related illnesses such as asthma, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease, a toll surpassing those from malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Sources of pollution ranged from vehicular emissions, open waste burning, use of firewood, pesticides from farming activities to dust from road construction.
The data revealed that air quality levels in many locations far exceeded Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) standards and the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, confirming the dire state of air quality in the capital region.
The study was spearheaded by PSS Urbania Consult, a Ghanaian urban planning and environmental consultancy, with technical and financial support from the Clean Air Fund, a global philanthropic initiative focused on reducing air pollution worldwide.
The one-year research project, which began in August 2024 and was extended to September 2025 due to data collection challenges during the rainy season, involved continuous monitoring at over 60 sites across the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.
Hotspots
Key pollution hotspots identified were Ablekuma Central Municipality, Ablekuma North Municipality, Ablekuma West Municipality, Adentan Municipality, Ablekuma South, Ashiedu Keteke and Okaikoi South.
The rest were Ayawaso Central Municipality, Ayawaso East Municipality, Ayawaso North Municipality, Ayawaso West Municipality, Korle Klottey Municipality, La Dade Kotopon Municipality, La Nkwantanang Madina Municipality and Okaikwe North Municipality.
Each municipality had four designated monitoring locations where data on PM2.5, PM10, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide were gathered over one week.
PM2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles, which are a major air pollutant and a significant health threat, while PM10 is particulate matter (solid or liquid particles) small enough to enter the lungs and cause respiratory and cardiovascular health problems.
Event
The findings were unveiled yesterday during a high-level validation workshop for the Air Quality Action Plans developed for 13 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) within the Greater Accra Region.
The findings were presented by Lead Consultant at PSS Urbania, Dr Joseph Ayitio, and Air Quality Specialist of PSS Urbania, Frederick Otu-Larbi.
The workshop marks a critical step towards evidence-based environmental governance and public health protection.
It featured presentations, discussions and working group sessions aimed at education, sensitisation and strategic planning.
It brought together key stakeholders from the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, the National Development Planning Commission and the Ghana Institute of Planners, among others.
Priority
Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at the Ministry of Local Government, Usama Iddrisu Samu, emphasised the urgency of addressing air pollution as a national development priority.
Highlighting the recent passage of Ghana’s new Air Quality Management Regulation and the alignment with ongoing district-level planning, he said air pollution caused over 28,000 deaths annually in Ghana, more than malaria and HIV combined.
Mr Samu praised the Clean Air Fund and partners for supporting evidence-based planning, including air quality monitoring and hotspot identification, and called for swift and committed action to translate the Air Quality Action Plans into real environmental and public health improvements.
“Our local government authorities are preparing their middle and long-term plans. This must remind us that cleaner air is not just an environmental aspiration, but a development priority that must be at the heart of our national agenda,” he said.
“This initiative is not only timely, but essential, as it represents a decisive step towards safeguarding the environment and protecting the health of our citizens,” he said.
The Director of Planning of the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council, Jemima Lomotey, who spoke on behalf of the Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa-Akweley Ocloo, emphasised the region’s commitment to turn air quality action plans into concrete improvements.
She highlighted the urgent need to tackle air pollution in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana’s most urbanised and industrialised region.
Local ownership
A representative of Clean Air Fund, Dr Elvis Kyere Gyeabuor, praised the integration of air quality discussions into regular district activities.
While acknowledging the grant’s life cycle, he emphasised that the current validation workshop should mark the beginning of local ownership and long-term action, and not the end of the process.
The Principal Planning Analyst at the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Lily Owusu, emphasised the urgent need to integrate air quality action plans (AQAPs) into the medium-term development plans of 13 selected MMDAs.
She highlighted the worsening air quality in Accra due to urbanisation, industrialisation and poor waste management, with significant health impacts on vulnerable groups.
Dr Owusu commended the government’s target to meet WHO air quality standards by 2040, and stressed that clean air was not just an environmental goal, but a development priority.
Air pollution action
The Municipal Chief Executive for Ayawaso West, Dr Michael Mensah, emphasised the need to address air pollution, citing its growing health impact amid urbanisation and rising emissions.
Dr Mensah highlighted the alignment with global Sustainable Development Goals and called for collaborative, innovative efforts to build cleaner, healthier, and more resilient urban environments.
