The Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development, Ghana (VAST Ghana), has urged the Government and stakeholders to urgently integrate air pollution prevention and control strategies into the country’s next National NCD Policy.
It said this would ensure that air quality management becomes a core component of national NCD prevention and control efforts.
A new policy brief report released by the VAST-Ghana titled “Breathing Crisis: Making Air Pollution a Priority in Ghana’s National NCD Response” noted that air pollution is a major public health threat.
It highlighted the severe health, environmental, and economic impacts of air pollution in Ghana and offered practical policy solutions.
The report recollected that during the 3rd United Nations High Level Meeting on the Prevention and Control of NCDs in 2018, world leaders formally acknowledged air pollution as a key driver of NCDs in the Political Declaration and committed to strengthening national policies that reduce population exposure to harmful air pollutants.
“This recognition marked an important shift in global health policy by framing air pollution not only as an environmental challenge but also as a critical public health issue,” it stated.
It said globally, air pollution accounted for approximately 7.9 million premature deaths annually, and more than 90 per cent of these deaths occurred in low-and middle-income countries.
The report said in Ghana, the burden of air pollution was increasing due to rapid urbanisation, vehicle emissions, open burning of waste, reliance on solid fuels for cooking, and industrial emissions, among others.
It said the Global Air 2025 report also attributed that in Ghana, 4,541 deaths among children under ten years were attributed to exposure from cooking with solid fuels such as wood, charcoal, and dung, and recorded 12,790 deaths among adults aged 50 to 85 years.
On economic consequences, the policy brief said the World Bank estimated that the health and productivity losses associated with air pollution in Ghana amounted to approximately 4.2 per cent of the country’s GDP each year.
These costs arise from premature deaths, increased healthcare spending, and lost productivity due to illness.
It stated that despite these realities, there were several critical gaps in Ghana’s current national response to NCDs, adding that “Air pollution has largely been framed as an environmental issue rather than a health risk factor within the national health policy landscape.”
The VAST-Ghana has also made the following recommendations to address the gaps, which include the strengthening of coordination between the Ministry of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, and other relevant sectors to support a multisectoral response to air pollution and its health impacts.
The expansion and modernisation of national air quality monitoring systems and ensuring that air pollution data informs health policy decisions, NCD surveillance systems, and public health interventions.
The government must restrict the importation of old and high-emission vehicles and promote investment in cleaner transportation systems, including incentives for electric vehicles and improved public transport.
It called for the promotion of cleaner household energy solutions by supporting access to renewable energy technologies such as solar systems, reducing import taxes on solar equipment, and expanding investment in renewable energy for public facilities.
It recommended the strengthening of enforcement of existing environmental regulations, including bylaws that prohibit the open burning of waste in communities and urban areas.
The VAST-Ghana urged the government to introduce fiscal measures that hold major polluting industries accountable, including pollution taxes and the removal of subsidies that support polluting activities, while redirecting these resources toward health promotion and clean air interventions.
It called for an increase in public education and national awareness campaigns to ensure that communities, policymakers, and the private sector understand the health risks associated with air pollution and the importance of collective action.
It said, “Air pollution does not respect national borders, and it cannot be controlled through individual action alone. Governments have the primary responsibility to implement policies that protect populations from harmful environmental exposures.
“At the same time, communities, civil society organisations, researchers, and the private sector all have roles to play in supporting national efforts to achieve cleaner air.”
The VAST Ghana urged policymakers, development partners, and all stakeholders to treat air pollution as a national health priority and to take decisive action to protect the health of present and future generations.
“Clean air is essential for healthy lives. Ghana must act now to ensure that its national health policies reflect the urgency of the air pollution crisis and provide the leadership required to safeguard the health of its people,” it concluded.
