From Guesswork to Evidence: Accra’s Air Quality Finally Measured

Accra is getting something it has never had before: a clear, real-time picture of the air its residents breathe. In just two years, the Breathe Accra programme — part of the global Breathe Cities Initiative backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40, and the Clean Air Fund — has deployed more than 100 air-quality sensors across the city, creating the most detailed pollution map in Ghana’s history.Michael Asharley sits down with Dr. Elvis Gyeabuor, Portfolio Manager for Breathe Accra, to explore how this initiative is transforming Accra’s approach to clean air. They discuss why Accra was chosen, the partnerships driving the work, key milestones from the past two years, and how data is reshaping decisions in health, transport, and urban planning.From schools and communities using clean-air insights for the first time, to city authorities integrating pollution data into policy, this episode reveals how Breathe Accra is building the foundations for a healthier city — and what it will take to sustain the progress once the programme ends.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.