On a busy Monday morning in and around Accra’s Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, traffic is at a standstill. Drivers lean on their horns, street hawkers weave between cars, and motorbikes squeeze through narrow gaps.
Amid the chaos, a grey haze hangs stubbornly in the air. For commuters, it is just another day. For doctors and scientists, it is a silent emergency.
A new study has revealed that air pollution has overtaken malaria, HIV/AIDS, and road accidents as Ghana’s leading cause of death, claiming over 30,000 lives each year.
The toll is higher than most Ghanaians would imagine, with fine dust and toxic fumes now responsible for illnesses ranging from asthma and chronic coughs to heart disease and lung cancer.
“I have lived in Accra all my life, and breathing has never felt this heavy,” says Ama Korkor, a 46-year-old trader at the Kaneshie Market.
She was diagnosed with bronchitis last year and has since been on regular medication. “Doctors told me the smoke from burning rubbish and the fumes from cars are making my condition worse. But what can I do? I work here every day.”
Ama’s story reflects a grim reality captured by the PSS Urbania Consult study, supported by the Clean Air Fund, a global philanthropic initiative tackling air pollution worldwide.
Over a year of monitoring air quality at more than 60 locations in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, the research confirmed what residents like Ama already feel in their lungs: the air is dangerously polluted.
Invisible killers in the air
The study tracked pollutants such as Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and PM10 particles , sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
It PM2.5. is a microscopic particle small enough to slip into the bloodstream, were found at levels far exceeding both World Health Organisation guidelines.
“These particles are invisible, but their impact is devastating,” explains Dr. Michael Mensah, Municipal Chief Executive of Ayawaso West.
“They are linked not only to respiratory diseases but also cardiovascular conditions, strokes, and premature deaths. The fact that air pollution is now our number one killer shows how urgent this problem has become.”
The research identified hotspots where pollution is particularly severe, including Ablekuma Central, Ashiedu Keteke, Okaikoi South, and Ayawaso municipalities.
These areas, densely populated with congested traffic, markets, and open burning sites, illustrate the link between urbanisation and declining air quality.
The human cost
Doctors say the numbers confirm what they see daily. Dr. Louisa Ademki Matey, the Municipal Director of Health for Ayawaso West Municipality, says URTI OPD morbidity cases had nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023.
“This is a disturbing trend and of great concern to us. The cases have actually increased consistently, from 13,368 to 25,789. Now we are dealing with a double burden of diseases,” she says.
Dr. Matey said air pollution has a connection with non-communicable diseases like
URTI, explaining that inhaling poor air that has small particles gets into one’s bloodstream and impairs its functions as well as those of other organs.
“Inasmuch as air pollution has a link with URTI, we at this Health Directorate are in the process of examining the data, connect with the facilities to look at the risk factors, the conditions closely segregate the data.”
“We treat patients who have never smoked a cigarette in their life but whose lungs look like those of lifelong smokers,” she says. “The environment they live in is poisoning them.”
Children are among the most vulnerable. In Alajo, 11-year-old Kojo often misses school because of severe asthma attacks.
His mother, Efua, points to a nearby dumpsite where waste is openly burned. “When the smoke rises, Kojo can’t breathe.
We have rushed him to the hospital three times this year alone,” she says, her voice heavy with worry.
The economic toll is equally staggering. Families like Efua’s spend a significant portion of their income on hospital visits, medication, and inhalers. The broader cost to Ghana’s health system and productivity runs into billions of cedis annually.
A call for clean air
At a recent validation workshop, Percy Anaab Bakan, a Planner, stressed that tackling air pollution must move beyond talk.
“This is Ghana’s most urbanised and industrialised region. Our local government authorities are preparing medium- and long-term plans, and cleaner air must be at the heart of our national development agenda,” he says.
His words echo growing recognition that air quality is not just an environmental issue but a development priority, intersecting with health, climate change, and economic growth.
Dr. Elvis Kyere Gyeabuor, representing the Clean Air Fund, urged municipalities to take ownership of air quality monitoring and solutions beyond donor-supported projects. “This should not be the end of the process but the beginning of long-term local action,” he said.
What can be done?
Experts say solutions exist: stricter vehicle emission standards, phasing out open waste burning, promoting clean cooking fuels instead of firewood and charcoal, and enforcing regulations on industrial pollution. Urban planning reforms, greener transport, and investment in clean energy are also critical.
Yet for many Ghanaians, these reforms feel distant. “We hear about policies, but what we need is action on the ground,” says Ama, a trader at Kaneshie. “We just want to breathe clean air.”
The way forward
Air pollution is no longer the invisible issue it once was. The study’s findings, backed by lived experiences, paint a stark picture: unless decisive steps are taken, the silent killer in Ghana’s air will continue to steal lives, particularly in the country’s bustling capital.
As Dr. Mensah put it, “If we succeed in reducing air pollution, we don’t just save lives, we make our cities healthier, our economy stronger, and our future brighter.”
For Ama, for Kojo, and for millions of Ghanaians, that future cannot come soon enough
Source: GNA