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….
In the bustling streets of Accra, a regular day unfolds with cars snarled in traffic and motorcycles deftly navigating the labyrinthine maze. Motorbikes seem to be everywhere you look, serving a multitude of purposes from deliveries to daily commutes. Yet, amid this vehicular symphony, a stark contrast emerges….
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. “These harmful emissions infiltrate the lungs of millions, regardless of…
When Mary Akorley Kotey started coughing incessantly, it didn’t occur to her that it could be tuberculosis. The 60-year-old trader at the Kaneshie market in Accra had already beaten the scourge, known more commonly as TB, 30 years before. Last year, after months of sleepless nights with excruciating chest pain that ravaged her body, she…
Clean Cooking Alliance, the capacity of cookstove laboratories, including that of IIR-CSIR was built to meet international standards. “When you bring your stove here for testing, the results will be the same or similar to the result you will get from other labs in the world,” he said. He stated that the lab had become…
Asokwa Municipality, Ashanti Region – A culture of silence has descended on this industrial area of the Ashanti Region, as residents and health workers say they fear complaining about air pollution that is impacting their health, will lead to repercussions by the government and the institutions they work with. Residents say the air pollution from a…
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa-In this busy city, Ntsika Gqomfa, a historian and tour guide, relies on South Africa’s first Bus Rapid Transport system-known as the Rea Vaya-daily. …
The first witness in the crimes against humanity trial of 55-year-old Ousman Sonko—Gambia’s former interior minister—told a Swiss Federal Criminal Court in Bellinzona that Sonko treated her like a sex slave….
Diseases caused or exacerbated by air pollution including heart disease, stroke, asthma, lung cancer and dementia are increasingly straining health systems, says a Former World Health Organization (WHO) official. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, a Former Chief Scientist at WHO, in her foreword captured in the State of Global Air Quality Fund 2023, a Clean Air Fund latest report said…
The government’s quest to levy petrol and diesel vehicles owners GHS 100 annually is a good initiative but must be progressive to encourage timely maintenance and reducing emissions. Mr Desmond Appiah, Ghana Lead for Clean a Fund told the Ghana News Agency, “By progressive I mean there should be an emission standard where vehicles in…
This time of year has always been a nightmare for Mavis Adjare. Seasonal floods have been disruptive for the 45-year-old who makes her living collecting plastic waste and selling it to recyclers. This year that has changed. Mavis picks 100 kilogramme bags of plastic waste easily here at the confluence of the Kpeshie River and the…
Ghana is working to reduce methane pollution in agriculture and waste management. This is in line with the country’s mitigation actions of its climate plan to ensure air quality and public health, unlock carbon finance and create jobs. This is being done through Alternative Wet and Drying (AWD) strategy – a rice farming technology that…
Ghana’s fishing industry serves as the lifeblood of its economy, offering livelihoods to two million people, equivalent to one in every 16 Ghanaians. Artisanal fishers, spanning from Aflao to Cape Three Points, contribute significantly by supplying eighty percent of the nation’s consumed fish. However, within this vital industry, experts highlight a particularly perilous aspect: the…
Esi Ashun knew a time would surely come that she would have severe vision problems. She had seen it happen to her mother, who is now bedridden and blind, and her late neighbour. Both women had made their livings from fish smoking here on Ghana’s coast. But Esi didn’t expect to lose her sight so…
Stephen (not his real name) is a security officer with one of the utility companies in Accra. He grieves that his days are certainly numbered. Understandably, a robber can terminate his life any day. But that is not the source of his anguish, it is the very air he breathes to keep his job. …
Results from improved air quality monitoring in Accra have revealed that Nima, Makola, Agbogbloshie, Chorkor and Madina Zongo Junction are the five most polluted hotspots in Accra. These areas have recorded the most consistently poor-quality air standards over the period, with their sources mainly being soot from open waste burning and emissions from vehicles. Professor Kofi Amegah, the Breathe…
Three MPs are leading an ambitious charge to address the escalating air pollution affecting the nation. With a private members bill in the works, they aim to elevate clean air as a fundamental human right amid Accra’s rapid urbanisation and the surge of pollution from various sectors including transport, industry, and agriculture. While government has…
Water dictates the lives of people in this part of central River Cess. With just three hand pumps to supply a town of 7,000, women and children here wake as early as 3 am to fetch water from distant creeks. But the creek water carries dangers….
In the 22-year rule of Gambia’s former dictator Yahya Jammeh, protests were rare.The few who attempted them were brutally crushed by the military. In one of the earliest examples at least 14 students were killed at a demonstration in April 2000….
Ousman Sonko, a 54-year-old former Gambian police chief and interior minister, appeared in court today for the opening of a trial in the Swiss city of Bellinzona. …
Samuel G. Youhn, 62, has lived almost his entire life without electricity. His native Nimba County, like every part of Liberia, felt the pinch of the country’s brutal civil wars that destroyed electricity and other infrastructure, in addition to the estimated 250,000 lives they claimed. …
