Though it has not received much attention until now, air pollution has become a huge challenge around the globe, with significant implications for human life. The last few years have been hard on Saeed Jafat and his family. The 45-year-old maize farmer has no irrigation system or underground water supply. He depends entirely on the once-a-year rainy…
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Air pollution kills 28,000 Ghanaians each year and sickens many more, say experts
At first it wasn’t clear to the family members what had killed their beloved father. Dr Ato Atobrah, a retired lecturer, had been taking a nap in his bedroom. Several hours later they found his lifeless body. Footage from a closed-circuit television revealed the killer. The 70-year-old had awoken when smoke poured into his room…
Plastic waste to increase air pollution
Plastic waste is projected to rise to 116m tonnes annually by 2060, six times more than the 18m tonnes of waste produced in 2019. The main driver of rising plastic consumption in sub-Saharan Africa, where 70 per cent of the population is under 30, is rising income and population growth. Plastic waste is also projected to almost…
Satellite data helping to monitor pollution levels in Accra
Researchers are utilizing satellite imagery to monitor air pollution levels and sources of emission in Accra. They are leveraging the power of multi-spectral visible bands of Landsat 8 satellite imagery to map out areas with poor air quality by targeting Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5. A PM 2.5 is a tiny piece of solid or liquid particles with…
Wood dust: The silent killer of Ghanaian woodworkers
Ghana’s woodworkers are battling a range of health problems caused by a silent killer – wood dust. Environmental scientists are calling on company owners and woodworkers themselves to understand the risks and put in place protection measures. They say protective equipment and workplace safety training are crucial to prevent a growing problem of respiratory and other diseases…
Fish Smoking: The Livelihood Causing Pain and Death in Coastal Communities in Ghana
When his mother fell ill and started coughing incessantly, Kojo Ansong and his siblings thought it was a minor infection that would go away with some over-the-counter medication. It didn’t. Sixty two-year-old Christiana Ntiamoah’s coughs became raspier, more frequent and she sometimes coughed up blood….
DEADLY TROTROS: How Ghana’s Most Popular Mode of Transport is Wreaking Havoc on Our Health
Israel Nkegbe never imagined a time when he would feel afraid to leave his house. Once a strong and commanding chief police inspector he now struggles just to breathe. The world outside his house is filled with dangers: toxic air pollutants that could trigger an attack that takes his life. A year ago the 63-year-old…
Ghana’s Air Quality Crisis: Asthma Burden Worsens as Air Quality Deteriorates
In the bustling streets of Accra, the daily spectacle of cars ensnared in traffic jams is a sight all too common. Yet, amid this urban hustle, a disquieting reality looms – a shroud of dense, noxious fumes billows from the exhaust pipes of countless vehicles….
Air Pollution – Enemy of Children, Elderly and the Vulnerable
In Ghana, a growing menace lurks in the air, imperilling the most susceptible members of the population—children and the elderly. This silent and invisible adversary, air pollution, has raised alarms among health experts who urge both the government and citizens to take immediate action….
Government Says It Has Cut Poverty but the World Bank Says It’s Rising.
When he took office in 2018 President George Weah promised his government would lift one million Liberians out of poverty by the end of his six year term. Half Liberia’s five million people live below in the poverty line. In January the Weah government declared a victory that surprised many people: it claimed to have…
New Narratives to Launch Clean Air Journalism Project in Ghana
New Narratives is thrilled to announce a new project with our partners at the Center for Innovation and Development (CJID) to support fact-based, people-centered journalism on issues of air pollution in Ghanaian media with support from the Clean Air Fund….
Job Alert: Senior Editor/Project Manager – Ghana
Job Location: Accra, Ghana Full Time Deadline: June 28th, 2023 The Center for Journalism Innovation and Development and New Narratives invite applications for a newly created role in our Ghana team to lead editorial output and manage partnerships supporting journalism on air pollution. This role will suit an entrepreneurial, senior journalist and team player with…
Communities Drowning in Trash Furious Over Failed US$3M Waste Management Project – Part Two
In part two of this two-part investigation Anthony Stephens and Tina S. Menhpaine report with New Narratives on the obstacles that doomed a $3m EU-funded waste management project….
Breaking the Chains – After Being Trafficked to Oman a Group of Liberian Women Decided to Take Matters into Their Own Hands
Esther thought she was boarding a flight that would take her to a lucrative job in Dubai. Instead, she landed in Muscat, Oman, where she was beaten and sold into modern-day slavery. This is the incredible story of how Esther, and hundreds of other Liberian women, worked together to free themselves from human trafficking syndicates. …
The EU’s Failed US$3M Bid to Fix Monrovia’s Trash Crisis – part one
In this two-part investigation, Anthony Stephens and Tina S. Menhpaine report with New Narratives on a US$3 million European Union project that was meant to solve Monrovia’s trash crisis….
Former State Security Agent Gets 25 Years for Human Trafficking; Trafficker Claims a State Conspiracy
MONROVIA — A Monrovia court has sentenced Arthur Chan-Chan, a former agent of the National Security Agency, to 25 years in prison for human trafficking—the highest penalty yet for a convict of the crime in Liberia. The longest sentence until now was 20 years – following Liberia’s revision of the trafficking law making the minimum sentence…
Two Young Liberian Entrepreneurs are Building a Business and Creating Jobs
Ask any university graduate and they’ll tell you: It’s hard to get a job in Liberia right now. That reality is pushing a lot of budding entrepreneurs to strike out on their own. Economists say Liberia needs more successful companies if the economy is to grow and create jobs. That’s the motivation behind a range…
How the Government Silenced Accountability in Runup to Election
Three months after the government raced an act through the Legislature overhauling the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, Liberia’s independent corruption watchdog has almost ceased functioning, all but ending scrutiny of government corruption in the runup to next year’s election. A source inside the Commission, who requested anonymity for fear of losing their job, said prosecutions have…
Will Liberia Finally Ban Female Genital Cutting?
Listen here: Liberia is one of just three West African nations where female genital cutting is legal. New Narratives’ Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh finds strong resistance to the bill from traditional leaders and little political will to challenge them. At the same time membership of traditional societies is plummeting.This story was a collaboration with Ok FM…
As Membership Plummets Traditional Leaders Resort to Kidnapping, Forced Genital Cutting, and Extortion
In part two of this two-part series with New Narratives, Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh finds Liberians are abandoning the Sande traditional society leading some leaders to resort to kidnapping and forced cutting. MOUNT BARCLAY, Montserrado – Deborah Parker was 15 when she was sent to a “Bush school” run by the Sande traditional society in her home…
A New Bill to Ban Female Genital Cutting Looks Set for Defeat Even as Liberians Abandon the Practice
Liberia is one of just three West African nations where female genital cutting is legal. In this two-part series with New Narratives Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh finds strong resistance to the bill from traditional leaders and little political will to challenge them. At the same time Sande’s membership is plummeting. MOUNT BARCLAY, Montserrado – 18-year-old Dearest is one…