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…
Breathing to death
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. …
Air Quality: Makola, Agbogbloshie among five polluted hotspots in Accra
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…
Clean Air: Ghanaian MPs spearhead legislation to tackle rising pollution
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…
Liberia: Logging Company EJ&J Shipped US$3 million in Lumber Despite Telling Community Exports were Halted; FDA Fails to Act
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….
Liberia: French Authorities Charge Alleged Liberian Warlord
French authorities have charged Saturday Tuah, an alleged Liberian warlord with crimes against humanity….
Victims of alleged Jammeh henchman Ousman Sonko welcome Swiss trial
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….
Victims express ‘relief’ in seeing ex-Jammeh lieutenant face justice as trial for crimes against humanity begins in Switzerland
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. …
Liberia: Jungle Energy Power: A Local Power Company Bringing Comfort to Rural Communities
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. …
Liberians Turn to Facebook to Find “Good Samaritans” to Fill In Gaps As Healthcare System Fails Them
Like too many people across Liberia Fatu Washington spent much of her youth “living with rejection from friends and neighbors”, as she put it, in her home village of ‘Joseph Town’ in Bomi County….
New Narratives Supports Gambian Journalist to Cover Milestone Swiss Trial of Jammeh Enforcer
New Narratives is pleased to to support the reporting of leading Gambian journalist Mustapha K. Darboe of the trial of Ousman Sonko, a former lieutenant of Gambia’s dictator president Yahya Jammeh, in Bellinzona, Switzerland….
Tema Residents Battle For Clean Air In One Of The Most Polluted Cities In Ghana
At 55, Richard Acquah’s lungs are damaged from long exposure to dust, factory smoke and vehicular fumes from his lifetime profession as a taxi cab driver at Tema Community One taxi station. Doctors have advised him to change jobs if he wants to live….
Ghana takes steps to reduce methane pollution in agriculture, waste management
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…
Sacrificing Vision for Income: Women Pay a High Price for Smoking Fish
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…
Fish Smoking Endangering Lives of Many Ghanaian Children
Noami Mansah Anim was just six years old when she died. The little girl had battled asthma for years, her tiny body wracked by the struggle to get air into her lungs. On a cold dawn morning in 2019 she finally succumbed. Her mother Abena Anim is still overwhelmed with grief. “Anytime Naomi got an…
Blind Women Defy Disabilities to Become Entrepreneurs
Blindness is one of the many tragedies that Liberians suffer at higher rates than people in other countries because of limited medical care. As many 22,000 Liberians suffer from impaired vision….
Presidential Candidate Tiawan Gongloe Promises to Sweep Corruption from Liberia, But Can He Win Over Voters?
Counsellor Tiawan Saye Gongloe, a veteran statesman and human rights lawyer, is one of few of the 20 presidential candidates in next week’s election with a detailed plan to fix Liberia’s problems….
At 78, Boakai Claims Age Makes Him the Best President. Critics Say He’s Too Old and Alliance with Johnson Will Hurt Liberia
With just weeks to the presidential election, pundits say Joseph Boakai, standard-bearer of the Unity Party (UP), presents a serious threat to George Weah, the incumbent president. …
As Instability Sweeps, West African Leaders Plead With Liberian Party Chiefs to Stop Inflammatory Comments
A series of violent incidents by political partisans, and inflammatory comments from party leaders, has Liberians on edge in the runup to next month’s presidential and legislative elections….
Nimba First-Time Voters Say Education Most Important Issue in Choosing President, in Survey
They’re a big group of new voters, in the country’s second-largest county. First-time voters in Nimba will have a major impact in next month’s election so there is a lot of interest in how they will vote. …
The Physically Challenged Candidate Running For Office
Our coverage of election-related activities is not only about presidential candidates. We are also spotlighting representative candidates and their platforms for their constituents. …