EPA Calls for Collective Action as Air Pollution Costs Ghana $1.9bn Annually
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has called on Ghanaians to take practical steps to reduce air pollution as Ghana joins the global community to commemorate the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies 2026.
The Day, marked on September 7, 2026, is being observed on the theme: “Clean Air, Healthy Choices: Acting Together for People and Planet.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, September 7, 2026, the EPA said air pollution remains a major threat to human health and the environment.
Citing the State of Global Air Report 2025, the Authority noted that air pollution is identified as the second-leading risk factor for premature death globally, contributing to approximately 7.9 million deaths worldwide in 2023.
In Ghana, the situation is equally alarming. The Investment Case for Improved Ambient Air Quality and Health in Ghana Report 2025 by the UNDP estimates that air pollution causes approximately 12,870 deaths annually and costs the country about US$1.9 billion, equivalent to 2.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
According to the EPA, major sources of air pollution in Ghana include emissions from transport, industrial and commercial activities, the use of firewood and charcoal for cooking, and the open burning of waste.
To improve air quality, the EPA said it continues to implement a number of measures. These include monitoring air quality at designated locations, implementing the Environmental Protection (Air Quality Management) Regulations, 2025 (LI 2507) to control emissions, and collaborating with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to introduce vehicle emissions testing as part of the roadworthiness certification process.
Other interventions are the implementation of the Air Quality Management Plan for the Greater Accra Region through a coordinated, multisectoral approach, enforcing the Environmental Protection (Environmental Assessment) Regulations, 2025 (LI 2504) to ensure undertakings adopt appropriate measures to minimise their environmental impacts, and introducing the Ghana Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (GOCEMS) to facilitate real-time monitoring of emissions from permitted undertakings.
The Authority also announced that it will soon launch a compliance enforcement exercise on open burning.
Under this year’s theme, the EPA is encouraging individuals, communities, businesses and institutions to play their part by maintaining vehicles properly, avoiding open burning of waste, using cleaner cooking fuels and improved cookstoves, ensuring cleaner industrial practices and adopting environmentally sustainable practices.
The Authority stressed that clean air is essential to life, health and the environment, and protecting it is a shared responsibility. It therefore called on all sectors of society to work together to reduce air pollution and safeguard the health and well-being of present and future generations.
“No action is too small. The time for action is now. Together, we can make our skies blue again,” the EPA said.
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