Did Ghana’s Emissions Levy Work?

In December 2023, Ghana introduced an emissions levy meant to make polluters pay and, ultimately, make the air cleaner. By February 2024 it was in force. By 2025, it was gone.

In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley asks a simple but uncomfortable question: did the policy ever have a chance to work?

Drawing on nearly 25 years of air quality data, the episode features Daniel Westervelt, an atmospheric scientist at Columbia University, whose research examines whether Ghana’s short-lived emissions levy had any measurable impact on pollution levels, particularly PM2.5. The analysis was conducted as part of a Clean Air Fund–supported research project focused on Ghana.

The conversation explores why long-term data matters, how seasonal factors like the harmattan complicate policy evaluation, what the numbers reveal about vehicles and other pollution sources, and why Ghana’s PM2.5 levels remain a serious public health concern. Using tools such as the WHO’s AirQ+, the episode also connects pollution trends to estimated health impacts in cities including Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale.

This is a clear-eyed look at what happens when environmental policy moves faster than enforcement, data, and political patience.

Clean Air Report Ghana is a collaboration between New Narratives and leading Ghanaian newsrooms. Funding is provided by the Clean Air Fund which had no say in the reporting.