Wood dust: The silent killer of Ghanaian woodworkers
Wood dust has become a silent killer causing a range of health problems….
Journalism
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….
Liberia: Presidential Candidate Cummings’ Business Experience is Unrivaled but is it Enough to Win Over Voters?
Alexander Cummings, a former Coca-Cola executive, touts his global business acumen as crucial for Liberia’s economic revival in the upcoming presidential race, facing incumbent President George Weah and others….
Survey Finds One in Three Liberians Do Not Trust the Biometric Voter Registration System for October’s Elections
A survey by New Narratives reveals deep mistrust among Liberian voters towards the new Biometric Voter Registration system, marred by glitches and double registrations, ahead of October’s manual voting….
Liberia: Trafficking Victims Await Restitutions, as Ex-NSA Agent Appeals 25-Year Sentence, Another Trial Indefinitely Suspended, Amid Drama Over Lack of Lawyer for Defendant
Victims of Arthur Chan-Chan’s trafficking have not received court-ordered restitutions, while the Liberian government, despite denials, faces criticism for failing to provide for the survivors’ welfare….
Liberia’s Traffic Deaths Among the Highest in the World, So Why Did the Government Halt a $50m Facility Meant to Make Roads Safer?
Liberia’s traffic tragedy claims lives like Lucky’s, highlighting the nation’s alarming road fatality rate, as vehicles with defects continue to operate without proper checks from a ready but unused traffic management facility….
In Rural Liberia, Where Police Lack Cars Or Equipment, Criminals Rule
Residents of Grand Bassa County say they are living in fear as a state of lawlessness takes over the county. Police – with no vehicles, fuel or other resources – say they are powerless to enforce the law. As a result, serious crimes are going on with no effort to arrest perpetrators….
Liberia: As Funding For Prisons Drops 85 Percent Under Weah Government Endless Pre-Trial Detentions Are Devastating Lives
Jerry Zeah’s search for a better life in Monrovia ended in a prison cell, untried for a crime he denies, as he faces a justice system delay stretching beyond his alleged offense’s sentence….
President’s School Chairs Arrive In Rural Schools, But There Aren’t Nearly Enough
In Buchanan’s overcrowded Four Houses Public School, kindergarteners like 7-year-old Sarah struggle to learn while seated on the floor, amidst dire shortages of chairs, tables, and a deteriorating classroom structure….
Liberia: As Schools Outsourcing Experiment Falters Teachers Say It’s Time to Give Counties Control
In part two of this two-part series with New Narratives Eric Opa Doue finds widespread opposition from teachers and civil society to government’s privatization of schools and a plea to government to abandon the scheme and let counties take charge….
Liberia: Students Dropping Out of School in Rivercess Due to Lack of Teachers
Jacob Beegar, 15, faces a grim future in Kporkon, Liberia, as the prolonged closure of his school since 2020 forces him to forsake education for farm labor, dimming his hopes of escaping poverty….
Political Parties Ignore 30 Percent Women Commitment Saying Women Aren’t Ready
MONROVIA, Liberia—With less than three months until vital presidential and legislative elections, Liberia’s political parties have defied their own commitments to fill 30 percent of their candidate ranks with women….
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…
Call for Applications for 10-month Fellowships Reporting on Air Pollution in Ghana
New Narratives is pleased to call for applications from leading Ghanaian journalists to join our project supporting fact-based, people-centered journalism on issues of air pollution in Ghana. Air pollution kills 6.7 million people around the world every year. 91% of those premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Air pollution is the second biggest…
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….
Sinoe Forest Community Fumes Over Numerous Illegalities by Forestry Development Agency As Lawmaker’s Company Wins Concession
Community members here in Tartweh and Drapoe chiefdoms are fuming over a range of what they claim are violations of Liberian laws by the country’s forest management body the Forestry Development Agency….
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. …