The Missing Part: How the Theft of Catalytic Converters Contributes to Air Pollution

A growing number of vehicles on Ghana’s roads are emitting far more pollution than they should — not because they are old or broken, but because a critical pollution-control part is missing.Cars without converters release untreated exhaust into streets already crowded with pedestrians and traders. The people most exposed are those who spend long hours near traffic (market women, drivers, mechanics, and children) many of whom have little ability to avoid the pollution.This episode of Clean Air Report Ghana looks into how the theft and deliberate removal of catalytic converters is worsening air quality in Accra and Kumasi. Drawing on investigations by journalists Caleb Ahinakwah and Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen, the episode follows how converters are stolen and traded, why some drivers choose to remove them, and how weak enforcement has allowed the practice to become routine.The episode asks why existing roadworthiness and emissions rules are failing to protect breathable air, and what it would take to stop a problem that is largely hidden beneath our vehicles but felt in every breath.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.