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The Country Director of Clean Air Fund, Desmond Appiah, has sounded the alarm on the dangers of air pollution in the country, calling for an intensified campaign to deal with the threat of air pollution.
According to Mr Appiah, air pollution was a major contributor to diseases, with almost 50 per cent of hospital cases having pollution-related causes, emphasising that the invisible nature of air pollution made it a challenging issue to tackle.
Mr Appiah was speaking with the Daily Graphic during the Clean Air Conference to commemorate the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, organised by the Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO) in Accra last Friday in collaboration with the Clean Air Fund and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
He indicated that 99 per cent of the world's population breathes poor air, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). He emphasised that air pollution is a transboundary issue, that requires collective action from individuals, communities and governments to address.To combat air pollution, Mr Appiah suggested community-led initiatives, such as banning waste burning and promoting cleaner fuels such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
He emphasised the need to support the EPA and government initiatives aimed at enforcing regulations and promoting the use of electric buses, regular vehicle maintenance and reducing pollution.
The International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies was commemorated to raise global awareness and promote solutions to the escalating challenge, and served as a platform for governments, civil society, the private sector, and individuals to reflect on the importance of clean air and to take collective action towards its preservation.
The 2025 observance was held on the global theme: “Clean Air, Collective Action: Mobilising for Equitable and Climate-Resilient Cities”, emphasising the link between air quality, climate resilience and public well-being.
The conference saw the donation of 150 mobile air quality sensors to the Greater Accra Coordinating Council to help measure air quality at various localities in the region.
For her part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPA, Prof. Nana Ama Brown-Klutse, emphasised the critical connection between air pollution and climate change.
The CEO of the EPA said the continuous pollution of the air contributes to global warming, leading to devastating impacts such as flooding, droughts, and sea level rise.
Prof. Brown-Klutse lauded the recent passage of the Air Quality Regulation Law 2025, which aimed to guide Ghanaians in maintaining clean air environments and minimising air pollution.
She highlighted the issue of equity, noting that the rich tend to pollute more but suffer less from the impacts of climate change due to their ability to adapt.
In contrast, she said, the poor, who contributed less to pollution, bear the brunt of its consequences.
According to her, this disparity underscored the need for collective action to ensure clean air and mitigate the effects of climate change.
She commended GAYO for organising the conference and expressed EPA's continued support for initiatives aimed at promoting clean air and addressing climate change.
For his part, the Zero Waste Project Manager at GAYO, Jacob Johnson Attakpa, emphasised the need for proper waste management in the country.
According to Mr Attakpa, failing to separate waste at source leads to high recycling challenges and poor composting, exacerbating environmental issues.
He stressed that individuals had a significant role to play in waste management, starting with separating waste at source.
“We need funding to be able to do these things.
I understand that many households may not be able to start with six bins at a go.
But historically, when you look at the countries that are segregating as many as 15 separate bins, they started from two: wet waste, dry waste.
