BreatheLife Member

Accra, Ghana

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Photo by Joana Ansong/WHO

Accra, the youthful, multicultural capital of Ghana, becomes the first major city in Ghana to join the BreatheLife campaign. As part of its commitment, the city of 2 million people is supporting outreach in some of the city’s worst hit communities to reduce waste burning and promote green space development. A new Ghana EPA Air Quality Management Plan will tighten national air quality standards along with fuel and vehicle emissions requirements. A WHO and CCAC-supported Urban Health Initiative is, meanwhile, supporting a city-wide assessment of the health benefits of more sustainable development of transport, waste and household energy systems – training policymakers in health-based tools and analysis.

"Cities are becoming more important in the geopolitical space. Someone has to provide leadership. I am willing to do so. In our part of the world air pollution is not prioritized as a health concern - even in the way we cook. But the statistics are so staggering that we have to wake people up to take action. We have to talk about it loudly so that it becomes part of our discourse in the urban political space.”

Mohammed Adjei Sowah, Mayor of Accra, Ghana
The Air Pollution in

Accra , Ghana

Member BreatheLife
0
11x
THE SAFE LEVEL PM2.5 annual exposure*

*PM 2.5 concentrations measured in micrograms of particles per cubic meter of air (µg/m3) Data: WHO Global Platform on Air Quality & Health

WHO Guideline (10)Lowest level at which premature mortality risk increases in response to long-term exposure

Interim target 1 (35)Associated with 15% higher premature mortality relative to the WHO guideline of 10 µg/m3

Interim target 2 (25)Associated with 6% lower premature mortality risk relative to Interim Target 1 (35 µg/m3)

Interim target 3 (15)Associated with 6% lower premature mortality risk relative to Interim Target 2 (25 µg/m3)

More about the data

Air Quality & Health Burden Ghana

11,739 Annual Deaths from air pollution
Outdoor AIR POLLUTION

Leading Killer

Acute lower respiratory infection

National Air Quality

55

annual average PM 2.5

Household AIR POLLUTION

Leading Killer

Acute lower respiratory infection

Child Deaths (0-5yrs)

2992

per year

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