Breathe Accra: Ghana's Capital Builds Its First Air Quality Network

Breathe Accra is a joint effort by Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency, Accra's district assemblies and the global Breathe Cities initiative, run by C40 Cities, Clean Air Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies, to give Ghana's capital its first real-time picture of its own air. Since 2022 the project has installed low-cost sensors across Accra's metropolitan assemblies, building toward a denser network of roughly 100 monitors feeding hyperlocal pollution data to officials and the public. Air quality readings in parts of Accra have been measured at up to four times WHO guideline levels, driven by vehicle emissions, aging cars, charcoal cooking and waste burning. The initiative aims to cut air pollution and carbon emissions by 30% by 2030, a target researchers estimate could prevent around 1,790 deaths a year in the Greater Accra region.