Clean Air Report Ghana

Air pollution may be invisible, but across Ghana, a growing movement is working to make it impossible to ignore. From installing air quality sensors in communities to educating the public about the risks of dirty air, a new generation of advocates and researchers is turning data into action.In this episode, Michael Asharley speaks with clean air advocate and research assistant Evans Quarshie, whose work with Breathe Accra is helping expand access to hyperlocal air pollution data across the city. The conversation explores how citizen science, community engagement and real-time monitoring are reshaping the way people understand the air they breathe.The episode also looks at the bigger picture: how grassroots activism connects with Ghana’s emerging air quality policies and why data alone is not enough without public awareness and accountability. 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. 

Ghana’s decision to legalise commercial motorcycles, widely known as Okada, has been hailed as a major shift in transport policy, promising jobs, convenience and faster movement through congested cities. But beyond the economic benefits lies another reality: thousands of riders now spend long hours breathing in dangerous levels of traffic pollution every single day.In this episode, Michael Asharley speaks with journalist Caleb Ahinakwah, whose reporting follows riders and traders navigating Accra’s traffic-choked streets. Through the story of riders like “Atentenben,” the programme explores how persistent exposure to exhaust fumes has become normalised, even as experts warn of serious long-term risks to the lungs, heart and overall health.The episode also examines the broader implications of Ghana’s new transport law, from the dominance of highly polluting motorcycle engines to the limited public awareness around air pollution exposure. As the country embraces Okada as part of its transport future, the programme asks a pressing question: can Ghana expand mobility without deepening a growing public health crisis?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. 

Every breath we take contains more than oxygen. It can also carry microscopic particles capable of entering the lungs, bloodstream and vital organs. Yet for billions of people around the world, that danger remains invisible. In this episode, Michael Asharley examines the findings of the 2025 World Air Quality Report, one of the largest global analyses of air pollution ever conducted, covering more than 9,400 cities across 143 countries.Joining the programme is Dr. Christi Chester Schroeder of IQAir, the lead author of the report, who breaks down the troubling global trends behind the data. Only 14% of cities worldwide met the World Health Organization’s safe air quality guideline in 2025. The conversation also turns toward Africa, where hundreds of millions of people are exposed to dangerous pollution levels despite the continent having only a tiny fraction of the world’s air quality monitoring infrastructure.The episode explores what missing data means for public health, why Ghana’s recent improvement in pollution levels matters, and whether new regulations can translate into cleaner air in practice. 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. 

For millions of families in Ghana, cooking with charcoal and firewood is part of daily life - the crackling fire, the smoke-filled kitchen, the familiar routines of preparing meals. But behind that ordinary scene lies a growing public health concern that experts say is increasingly harming families, especially women and children.In this episode, host Michael Asharley speaks with journalist Jennifer Ambolley about the hidden dangers of household air pollution and the doctors now pushing to tackle the problem before it becomes deadly. Through the story of one family, the programme explores how a simple medical question — “What fuel do you cook with?” — is changing the way health professionals think about prevention and environmental health.The episode examines the science behind cooking smoke, the long-term risks linked to charcoal and firewood use, and the difficult economic realities that make cleaner alternatives out of reach for many households. But it also highlights a quieter form of change: growing awareness among families, doctors and communities that clean air should not end outside the home.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. 

Air pollution is often framed as an environmental or public health issue. But what if it is also a question of human rights? In this episode, Michael Asharley explores the idea that clean air is not a luxury, but a fundamental part of human dignity—something every person is entitled to, yet millions are denied every day.Drawing on powerful insights from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Astrid Puentes Riaño, this episode connects global evidence to local realities in Ghana. From rising health risks in urban centres like Accra to the disproportionate burden on vulnerable communities, the episode shows how polluted air affects every stage of life—and why the crisis is both preventable and solvable.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. 

Every year, the harmattan sweeps across northern Ghana, coating communities in fine dust from the Sahara. But beyond the haze lies a more dangerous reality. Health experts say the same dry, dusty air is closely linked to recurring outbreaks of cerebrospinal meningitis, a disease that returns almost every dry season and continues to claim lives.Michael Asharley speaks with journalist Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith, whose investigation traces the connection between environmental conditions and disease. Blending science with deeply human stories, including the lasting impact on survivors, the episode highlights a crisis that is both preventable and persistent. 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. 

On a day typically defined by parades, patriotic speeches and national pride, some young Ghanaians chose a different path in marking Independence Day in Ghana. Instead of celebrating, they took to the streets, demanding urgent action on air pollution — an issue estimated to contribute to more than 32,000 deaths annually in the country.In this episode, host Michael Asharley explores how Independence Day became a platform for environmental activism, speaking with Betty Adjei of the Green Africa Youth Organization and Lord Offei-Darko of UrbanBetter Accra Cityzens. Together, they unpack the growing public health crisis linked to poor air quality, the challenges of waste management, and why existing laws are failing to deliver real change.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. 

Ghana spends billions of cedis treating chronic diseases like stroke, diabetes, asthma and hypertension.But what if one of the major triggers is something we rarely confront directly — the air we breathe?Michael Asharley speaks with reporter Kingsley E. Hope of the Ghanaian Times about his investigation into the growing disconnect between rising chronic illness and rising air pollution. He wrote a story that asks a difficult question: Are we investing far more in treatment than in prevention?The episode begins with Adiza, diagnosed with asthma and hypertension after years of exposure to polluted air. Her experience reflects a broader pattern doctors and environmental experts are increasingly concerned about. Yet Ghana has only a limited number of high-grade air quality monitors, and pollution is still not consistently framed as a central public health issue.Kingsley explains what surprised him most during his reporting, how officials responded when pressed about prevention, and why connecting the dots between pollution and disease remains so challenging.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. 

In Sokoban, a suburb of Kumasi, the air hangs heavy with smoke. Not from traffic. Not from harmattan. But from burning wood — the backbone of a charcoal trade that feeds families while quietly damaging lungs.In this episode, host Michael Asharley sits down with Asaase Radio reporter Lordina Agyemang to unpack her powerful story on the women at the heart of Ghana’s informal charcoal industry. Women like Margaret Awuni, diagnosed with chronic bronchitis after years of tending smoky kilns. When her doctor asked if she smoked marijuana, she laughed. Her only habit was burning charcoal to survive.The episode explores a growing health crisis in Sokoban, where PM2.5 pollution levels have reportedly soared far beyond safe limits, asthma cases are rising, and tensions are mounting between charcoal producers and residents. A court injunction ordered the women to stop burning wood near homes, but many refused — not out of defiance, but because relocation could mean losing their only source of income.Beyond the smoke lies a deeper story about poverty, weak enforcement, deforestation, and the high cost of traditional charcoal production. Ghana continues to lose forest cover each year, while inefficient kilns waste most of the wood they burn.Can livelihoods be protected without sacrificing lungs? Is there a realistic path toward cleaner production that women can afford?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. 

Air pollution is often described in numbers — PM2.5 levels, emission rates, regulatory limits. But what happens when the evidence is not a chart, but a photograph?In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley explores how images are being used to document and expose air pollution across Ghana. His guests are veteran photojournalist David Andoh, who has spent more than 15 years capturing the country’s environmental realities, and rising photographer Judy Yayra Avanu, who is beginning to tell those stories through her own lens.From open burning and traffic fumes to food vendors working under layers of dust, the episode examines how photography turns invisible pollution into visible proof. It also confronts the challenges of documenting environmental harm in public spaces, and asks whether powerful images can move authorities from awareness to action.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. 

Air pollution does not affect everyone the same way. In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharleyexamines why children and older adults bear the heaviest health burden when the air becomes unsafe.Drawing on frontline medical experience and child health expertise, Michael speaks with Carl Osei of the Ghana Health Service and Emmanuel Kyeremateng-Amoah of UNICEF Ghana. Together, they explain how polluted air contributes to asthma, pneumonia, heart strain, and long-term developmental harm — particularly during pregnancy, early childhood, and old age.The conversation connects what hospitals are seeing during periods of heavy traffic and burning with the everyday exposure families face while walking to school, waiting for transport, or sitting in traffic. It also looks at practical steps households can take to reduce risk, alongside the policy gaps that continue to leave vulnerable groups unprotected. 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. 

What can nearly twenty years of air quality data tell us about the city we live in today? In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley looks back at some of the earliest detailed measurements of air pollution in Accra — and what they reveal about how the city’s air has changed over time.Michael is joined by Raphael Arku, an Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, whose research has tracked particle pollution in Accra since the early 2000s. Their conversation breaks down where pollution comes from, how scientists trace it to specific sources, and why long-term particle data offers insights that short-term measurements often miss.From transport emissions and biomass burning to the growing impact of waste burning and even sea salt, the episode shows how progress in one area can be undermined by setbacks in another. It is a careful, evidence-led look at why clean air is not a one-time achievement, but an ongoing challenge shaped by policy choices, urban growth, and how closely we listen to the data. 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. 

What does it take to report air pollution responsibly in Ghana, and whose voices should shape the story? In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley takes listeners inside a three-day workshop in Accra where journalists from across Ghana compared notes, challenged assumptions, and strengthened their reporting.The episode features insights from Prof. Reginald Quansah, who underscores the often overlooked danger of household air pollution, particularly for women and children. It also includes perspectives from Desmond Appiah of the Clean Air Fund, and Hamza Bawa Mahama of People’s Dialogue on Human Settlements, who explains how community-led air quality monitoring is changing who owns pollution data.Through expert voices and reflections from the fellows themselves, the episode explores how data, policy, and lived experience must come together to tell more inclusive clean air stories. This is a behind-the-scenes look at the thinking shaping the next phase of air pollution reporting in Ghana. 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. 

Long-distance buses keep Ghana moving, but what happens to the air passengers breathe during hours-long journeys is rarely questioned. In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley looks inside Ghana’s long-distance buses to examine a largely overlooked public health risk: the quality of air circulating inside enclosed vehicles.The episode features journalist Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith of A1 Radio, whose reporting traces how dust, mould, and poor ventilation can turn routine travel into a health hazard. Beginning with a passenger’s alarming experience, the investigation expands into a wider national gap where indoor transport air quality goes unmeasured and largely unregulated.As passengers spend eight to fifteen hours sealed inside buses, the episode asks where responsibility lies when risks are normalised and data is missing. It is a careful examination of mobility, regulation, and the invisible conditions shaping everyday journeys across the country. 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. 

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. 

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. 

Air pollution is often described as an environmental problem. In reality, it is a poverty problem.This episode of Clean Air Report Ghana examines how dirty air in Accra is punishing those with the least power to escape it. From informal markets to densely populated neighbourhoods near traffic and waste sites, poorer communities are breathing the worst air — despite contributing the least to the pollution around them.Host, Michael Asharley is joined by journalist Jennifer Ambolley, whose recent reporting follows traders, women, and families facing chronic illness, lost income, and rising medical costs linked directly to air pollution. Drawing on lived experiences and public health evidence, the episode shows how dirty air deepens inequality, widens health gaps, and locks households into cycles of vulnerability.As Ghana works toward long-term air quality targets, this conversation asks a hard but necessary question: if clean air is a public good, why is it still distributed like a luxury?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. 

Clean air advocacy in Africa is taking shape in lecture halls, laboratories, and everyday conversations far beyond policy spaces. In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, Michael Asharley takes listeners to Kumasi for an inside look at the African School on Air Quality and Pollution Prevention hosted at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.The episode features voices from Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Ghana, as participants share how the intensive training has deepened their understanding of air pollution, public health, and environmental responsibility. From monitoring and data analysis to communication, community engagement, and policy influence, the school is equipping a new generation with practical tools grounded in African realities.As researchers, communicators, industry practitioners, and youth advocates reflect on what they are taking back to their home countries, the episode captures a growing continental network committed to cleaner air. It is a story of shared learning, cross-border collaboration, and the emergence of clean air champions determined to turn knowledge into action.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. 

Across 13 municipal assemblies in Accra, detailed air quality monitoring has exposed hidden pollution hotspots, linking everyday activities to serious health risks.Host, Michael Asharley, speaks with Dr. Joseph Ayitio, Managing Director of PSS Urbania, about how measuring pollutants like PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, and sulphur dioxide is changing planning, enforcement, and public awareness. As data makes the invisible visible, the episode asks a crucial question: now that we know where the problem is, will action follow?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. 

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. 

Air pollution is now the world’s second leading cause of early death — right behind high blood pressure. In 2023 alone, it claimed 7.9 million lives globally, including more than 32,000 in Ghana, where the average person is losing nearly nine months of life expectancy to dirty air.In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana on Joy 99.7 FM, host Michael Asharley speaks with Dr. Pallavi Pant, Head of Global Initiatives at the Health Effects Institute, about the findings of the State of Global Air 2025 Report — a sobering look at how polluted air is quietly fueling heart disease, respiratory illness, and, for the first time, dementia.The conversation unpacks why Africa’s air-pollution burden keeps rising even as global awareness grows, how Ghana’s new Air Quality Management Regulations could help, and what lessons the continent can learn from countries that have successfully cleaned their air.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. 

Award-winning journalist Albert Oppong Ansah joins host Michael Asharley to share how powerful storytelling can help Ghana breathe cleaner air.In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, Albert — a reporter with the Ghana News Agency and a New Narratives Clean Air Fellow — reflects on his recent win as Best in News Reporting (Online) at the 29th Ghana Journalists Association Awards. It was the second big win for him in a week. A few days before the GJA award, he also picked up the Eric and Wendy Schmidt award for excellence in science communication from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in the United States. His investigative stories on air pollution didn’t just inform; they provoked national discussion and inspired action.Albert talks about what motivates his reporting, the challenges of covering environmental issues, and how the Clean Air Fellowship has shaped his journalism. He also shares what he’s learned from years of covering the human and policy sides of Ghana’s pollution crisis — and why awareness remains the first step toward cleaner, healthier air.As the country continues to confront one of its most silent public health threats, this conversation explores how committed journalists can bridge the gap between science, policy, and the people most affected.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. 

Michael Asharley explores a stunning global paradox: while air pollution kills nearly 8 million people a year, funding for cleaner air is rapidly disappearing. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, support for outdoor air quality in sub-Saharan Africa dropped by a staggering 91%.Michael speaks with Jacob Johnson Attakpah from the Green Africa Youth Organization about how these funding cuts are hitting grassroots environmental projects in Ghana. From waste recovery centres to youth-led air monitoring, the work continues — but the money is running out.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. 

Air pollution kills an estimated 28,000 Ghanaians every year — and costs the country up to $2.8 billion in lost productivity. Yet, as the crisis deepens, global funding for clean air is falling.In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana on Joy 99.7 FM, host Michael Asharley asks a critical question: why is the world investing less in saving the air we breathe? He breaks down the latest State of Global Air Quality Funding Report, which reveals that support for outdoor air quality dropped by 20%, while projects prolonging fossil fuels more than doubled to $9.5 billion.Michael speaks with Desmond Appiah, Ghana Lead for the Clean Air Fund, about what this funding decline means for Ghana’s progress, the structural barriers that stall interventions, and the innovative financing models that could keep clean air efforts alive even when donor priorities shift.From dwindling global aid to the search for local solutions, this episode explores how Ghana — and Africa — can keep breathing hope into the fight for clean air.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. 

In Ghana’s gold towns, the danger isn’t always underground — it’s in the air.Michael Asharley investigates a new report by the FCDO, Pure Earth, and the EPA, revealing alarming levels of mercury in the air across artisanal and small-scale mining communities. When mercury is burned to extract gold, it releases invisible, toxic vapour that threatens not just miners, but entire families and nearby towns.Michael speaks with Rev. Dr. Esmond Wisdom Quansah of Pure Earth, Dr. Dezel Tay of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, and Dr. John Arko-Mensah of the University of Ghana School of Public Health about how mercury exposure harms the brain, kidneys, and lungs — and what must change to protect both livelihoods and lives.From Prestea to Konongo, this episode exposes the hidden health cost of Ghana’s gold rush — and why cleaner, mercury-free methods are the only way forward.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. 

This week on Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley connects the dots between the air we breathe and the diseases we fear most. It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month — but beyond lifestyle and genetics, could Ghana’s polluted air be a silent trigger?In this episode, Jennifer Ambolley of The Chronicle Newspaper shares the stories of market women battling breast cancer while working in smoke-filled stalls and roadside chaos. Then, Kayleb Ahinakwah takes us to the streets, where hawkers breathing in exhaust fumes all day are showing alarming rates of hypertension.From busy markets to congested highways, the episode reveals how air pollution is not just an environmental problem — it’s a growing public health crisis linked to some of Ghana’s most pressing diseases.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. 

Who’s responsible for cleaning Ghana’s air — the Ministry of Transport, the Energy Commission, the EPA, or your local assembly?Trick question. It’s all of them — and that’s exactly the problem.In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley explores why Ghana’s air pollution crisis remains unresolved despite decades of monitoring and dozens of overlapping mandates. With more than 30,000 air pollution-related deaths every year, experts say the country’s fragmented approach is costing lives.Michael speaks with Desmond Appiah, Ghana Lead at the Clean Air Fund, who argues that Ghana urgently needs a single, consolidated national clean air policy to bring clarity and accountability. Selina Amoah, Director of the Air Quality Unit at the EPA, reflects on Parliament’s new Air Quality Management Regulation and what it could mean in practice. And Jacob Attakpah of Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) makes the case for youth action and zero waste solutions at the community level.From government offices to grassroots campaigns, this episode unpacks the one question that could define Ghana’s clean air future: who is really in charge of the air we breathe?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. 

What’s taking more years off our lives than smoking, unsafe water, or even HIV/AIDS? The answer might surprise you.In this episode of Clean Air Report Ghana, host Michael Asharley speaks with Tanushree Ganguly, Director of the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) at the University of Chicago, to unpack the latest AQLI 2025 findings. The data reveals that air pollution is now the single greatest external threat to human life expectancy — and West Africa is among the hardest-hit regions.From the hidden dangers in Ghana’s air to the new parliamentary regulation on air quality management, this conversation explores the numbers behind the crisis and what they mean for our health, our policies, and our future.Listen as Tanushree breaks down the data gaps, the regional disparities, and the urgent steps Ghana must take to enforce its new standards — because, as Michael reminds us, every breath counts.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. 

Welcome to the first episode of this second season of the program, hosted by Joy News. This first show introduces listeners to a new cohort of clean air reporting fellows embarking on a groundbreaking journey to inform audiences of the dangers of air pollution. We will also meet some of the experts working to bring changes that can save lives and improve our health. And we'll learn what we can do to protect ourselves. 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. 

Welcome to “Clean Air Report Ghana,”.In this episode: ·      As air pollution in Ghana increases so do tuberculosis infections. Nearly twenty thousand Ghanaians died from TB in in 2023 alone as experts warn the two are linked.·      Residents in industrial zones are battling polluted air. We look closely at Weija in Accra.·      Women are the backbone of Ghana’s globally successful shea butter industry. But they are paying a price. We meet innovators finding ways to make their job safer. AND  ·      Young entrepreneurs introduce clean cooking technology to reduce air pollution in households.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. 

Tens of thousands of Ghanaians die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution and many more are sickened. As Ghana’s population soars air pollution has become a major health challenge that experts say needs an urgent response. So welcome to another edition of “Clean Air Report Ghana”, the programme the highlights the severe impacts of air pollution and potential solutions. Coming up,·      Researchers find a link between air pollution and neurological disorders like autism in children . ·      Road toll collectors across the country ask for government help with illnesses caused by long hours inhaling by toxic vehicle emissions.·      AND·      Experts worry about high numbers of respiratory infections caused by dusty roads. We bring you a report from the Sagnarigu in the Northern Region. I’m Wonder Ami Hagan, and this is “Clean Air Report Ghana”, a collaboration between New Narratives and leading newsrooms looking at the state of Ghana’s air.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. 

Hello and welcome to another edition of “Clean Air Report Ghana”.In this episode,·      Experts warn a growing number of children in slum areas exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution has worrying implications for Ghana’s future.·      A young advocate embarks on a cross-country trip on a bicycle to bring attention to alarming levels of air pollution. ·      We look at how poor enforcement of environmental regulations is denying many Ghanaians their right to clean air. AND·      What can young Ghanaians do to reduce air pollution? We visit BarCamp Ghana – an initiative that brings young people together to tackle air pollution. I’m Wonder Ami Hagan, and this is “Clean Air Report Ghana”, a collaboration between New Narratives and leading newsrooms looking at the state of Ghana’s air.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. 

Coming up in this episode: Silence descends over one of the country’s biggest industrial zones as workers say they are afraid to report air pollution. Residents and workers grapple with the effects of air pollution from roadworks across the country. Clean cookstoves protect fishmongers resist from blindness and other diseases. Why are they rejecting them?And... Clean Air Report goes to Johannesburg to see what Ghana can learn about cleaner public transport.I am Wonder Ami Hagan, and this is “Clean Air Report Ghana”, a collaboration between New Narratives and leading newsrooms looking at the state of Ghana’s air. 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. 

Welcome to another episode of Clean Air Report Ghana.Coming up in this edition:  We look at the high price women across the country pay for smoking fish.  As air pollution in Ghana worsens some MPs are on an ambitious charge to address the problem before it gets out of hand AND with vehicle emissions identified as the leading cause of air pollution in Ghana, we find out how we can all help to reduce pollution from our modes of transport.  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. 

Picture this: you’re driving down a busy street, surrounded by cars, buses, and trucks. Have you ever stopped to think what’s in the air you’re breathing ?  The World Health Organization says more than seven million people around the world die each year from air pollution. In Ghana seventy percent of air pollutants come from vehicle emissions. In this episode we look more closely at what’s driving those emissions, how they’re hurting the economy and what can be done to cut them.Also, we’ve spent a lot of time looking at the more obvious impacts of air pollution - on our health and on our climate. But in Winifred's reporting we found air pollution was posing a major threat in an unexpected place: our food supply. The World Bank predicts the yield of Ghana’s staple food – the yam - will drop by nearly 70 percent by 2080 because of climate change and air pollution. Maize and rice yields will drop by up to 25 percent by 2050 in most regions of Ghana. That will increase the price of food and food insecurity. 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. 

Hello and welcome to Clean Air Report Ghana. Coming up in this edition we meet woodworkers in Kumasi who are risking lives and limb to produce the main component in most of the furniture we use. Why fishmongers in James Town in Accra prefer traditional ovens over modern clean stoves and the impact of air pollution on their health and we will also hear from an expert on how and why we need to constantly measure air quality in our cities and towns. This program is a collaboration between New Narratives and Ghana's leading newsmedia.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. 

In our very first episode, we’ll explore the multifaceted aspects of air pollution – from its sources and impacts to the innovative solutions and inspiring stories that give us hope for a cleaner future. We’ll hear from reporters who are working with the collaborative newsroom New Narratives, to explore the impacts of air pollution in Ghana and the world. We’ll also hear from experts, government officials, industry leaders and everyday individuals who have witnessed the devastating effects of air pollution firsthand. 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.