The West African School on Air Quality and Pollution Prevention has initiated a project to develop an Air Quality Index to facilitate the measurement of air quality in Ghana.

Speaking at the launch of the school, a collaboration with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and supported by the Clean Air Fund, the team lead and Provost of the College of Science, Professor Leonard Kofitse Amekudzi, was optimistic that air quality forecasting would soon be possible for Ghana.

“The School is looking forward to developing an Air Quality Index for the country. It means wherever you go, you should be able to know the air quality within that time. We are looking forward to being able to forecast air quality for the country, and that is why we’ve brought on board the Ghana Meteorological Agency,” he said.

The School aims to train personnel focused on improving air quality and effecting change within communities across West Africa, emphasizing the goal of enabling everyone to breathe clean air.

This initiative has brought together eighty (80) researchers, policymakers, scientists, and socialists across West Africa to collaborate on identifying major causes of air pollution, its impact, and to develop preventive solutions. Participants of the West African School on Air Quality and Pollution Preventionwere drawn from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Senegal.

Mr. Desmond Appiah, Country Lead at Clean Air Fund, believes this initiative will complement efforts to build advocates for quality air. He highlighted the significant health impacts of pollution, mentioning that many diseases are linked to air quality issues.

“The impact of pollution on our health is massive. Diseases related to air pollution are numerous. There is enough research to show that even fetuses, the elderly, and children are all exposed. The attention it needs is not what we are giving it, so we need to be able to bring more focus and make people aware, but without data or information, it’s difficult.”

“We want to be able to have ambassadors for clean air because once we impart knowledge, we want these participants to go out and make a case in their countries for solutions to the challenges of pollution,” he said.

Mr. Appiah stressed the need for policymakers to make clear commitments to air pollution policies.

“We have to be able to bring this issue to the fore to ensure that policymakers pay attention to it; that is why we are in this march. It is not just Ghana but West Africa. We’ve done a study of the manifestos of all the major parties, and there is no clear focus on air pollution. We want to be able to raise the issue of the impact of pollution, especially air pollution, so that it forces our political class to understand its implications on the economy, health, and security,” he said.

Pro Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor David Asamoah, added, “The School’s goals align with KNUST's short course programs to enhance practitioners' capacity to address a critical environmental challenge. We envision this program expanding to other continents, creating a space for countries to come together to make air quality standards comparable to rule-of-law operations.”

He urged participants to work together to monitor and report air quality, develop effective policies and solutions, and educate and engage communities worldwide for a cleaner and healthier Africa.