GHANA’S fight against air pollution can no longer be treated as a distant environmental concern. It is a present and pressing public health emergency, one that demands urgent, deliberate, and sustained action.
At a stakeholders’ meeting on air pollution and e-waste injustice in urban slums, held in Kumasi on Friday, Dr Lawrencia Osae-Nyarko of the Public Health Research Unit at the Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-WRI) brought this reality into sharp focus.
Her proposal is both simple and compelling: dedicate five per cent of the Ghana Medical Care Trust Fund, popularly known as ‘Mahama Cares’, to air quality monitoring.
That allocation, estimated at about GH¢2.9 billion, could equip the nation with high-grade monitoring systems capable of generating reliable data.
In public health, data is not a luxury; it is the foundation upon which sound policy and life-saving interventions are built.
The Ghanaian Times finds this proposal not only prudent but necessary.
Air pollution may not always be visible, but its effects are deeply felt. From persistent coughs and headaches to more serious conditions such as hypertension, cancer, and complications in pregnancy, the health burden is alarming.
It is, as Dr Osae-Nyarko rightly describes, a silent killer, one that thrives where neglect and weak enforcement persist.
Yet, despite having standards to regulate environmental conditions, enforcement remains inconsistent.
This gap between policy and practice has long undermined national efforts to protect public health.
Without accurate, real-time data, even the best policies risk becoming mere intentions on paper.
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), though mandated to lead monitoring efforts, is overstretched.
Its responsibilities span multiple environmental concerns, leaving air quality monitoring inadequately resourced. This is where strategic investment becomes critical.
Allocating a portion of the ‘Mahama Cares’ fund to air quality monitoring is not a diversion, it is a reinforcement of its core purpose: safeguarding the health of Ghanaians.
Preventing disease, after all, is far more cost-effective than treating it. But government cannot do it alone.
The call by Dr Osae-Nyarko for individuals and private organisations to support monitoring efforts must be heeded.
Equally important is the promotion of citizen science initiatives. When communities are empowered with tools and knowledge to track their own exposure, they become active participants in safeguarding their health.
There is also an urgent need to address pollution at its source. The harmful smoke from fishmongering, the widespread use of charcoal and firewood, and the open burning of waste all contribute significantly to declining air quality.
Cleaner cooking technologies and sustainable waste management systems must therefore be prioritised.
In this regard, the call by Mr Emmanuel Nyarko Ankama, Project Coordinator, for stricter enforcement, including the prosecution of those who engage in open burning of waste is timely.
Laws must not only exist; they must be enforced to serve as a deterrent.
Equally concerning is the lack of coordination among key institutions. The absence of a robust data-sharing system between the EPA and ministries such as Health is a glaring weakness.
In an era driven by information, such silos are unacceptable.
Synchronised data systems are essential for effective planning and response.
The Ghanaian Times believes that Ghana stands at a critical juncture. The convergence of air pollution and e-waste challenges, particularly in urban slums, demands a comprehensive and coordinated national response, one rooted in science, driven by policy, and supported by citizens.
The way forward is clear. The government must act decisively by committing funds to air quality monitoring.
The air we breathe is not optional, it is fundamental to life itself.
Ghana cannot afford to wait until the full weight of this crisis is felt in overwhelmed hospitals and lost lives.
Let us clear the air, decisively, collectively, and without delay.
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