Kasoa to get new air quality monitors as EPA moves to close Central Region’s data gap
Air pollution kills tens of thousands of Ghanaians every year, yet in much of the country no one is measuring it. The State of Global Air 2025 report found that air pollution claimed over 32,000 lives in Ghana in 2023, nearly 14% of all deaths, making it the country’s second leading risk factor for death, behind high blood pressure. It is linked to 39% of stroke deaths, 66% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease deaths, and a third of neonatal deaths. The damage builds up over a lifetime. The Air Quality Life Index found that Ghana’s average PM2.5 level in 2023 stood at 12.91 micrograms per cubic metre, more than double the World Health Organisation’s guideline of 5. At that level, polluted air cuts nearly a year from the average Ghanaian life. The problem is that air pollution is mostly invisible. Smoke from a burning refuse heap drifts away, and exhaust fumes blend into the traffic, but the fine particles stay in the air. Without monitors, communities cannot tell when the air is unsafe, and authorities cannot tell where to act. Monitoring in Ghana is patchy, leaving blind spots in understanding where risks are most severe and making it harder for policymakers to design targeted interventions.