Accra: The University of Cape Coast's Associate Professor of Environmental and Nutritional Epidemiology, Professor Kofi Amegah, has been spotlighted by Scientific American for his significant contributions as an environmental change agent. The professor's endeavors primarily focus on addressing the substantial data void concerning air pollution in Africa, with particular emphasis on Ghana.
According to Ghana News Agency , the oldest continuously published magazine in the U.S., Prof. Amegah ranks among key individuals dedicated to this pressing environmental issue. In the same vein, the publication has also acknowledged the impactful work of three other professionals: Ms. Erica Cochran Hameen, an architectural designer from the U.S., Ms. Johnnye Lewis, a scientist from Mexico, and Ms. Berendina Van Wendel De Joode, a scientist hailing from Costa Rica.
In a conversation with the Ghana News Agency, Prof. Amegah conveyed that such international recognition substantially fuels his drive to enhance air quality, especially in urban settings, thereby directly promoting public health. "If you are working in Africa and people as far as America single you out as a change-making individual locally then it is massive," he expressed.
Furthermore, Prof. Amegah, who also spearheads the Breathe Accra Project, underscored the dire need for increased funding. He highlighted that the financial support would aid in identifying air pollution hotspots within Ghana and enlighten policymakers and residents about potential remedial measures. Implementing such solutions could not only pave the way for governmental regulatory actions but also serve as a framework for other African cities to emulate.
As he detailed, nearly 99% of the global population, as of 2019, resided in areas with air quality below the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. He accentuated that the presence of particulate matter in the air, especially in sub-Saharan African cities, galvanized him to seek data-driven solutions. Prof. Amegah initiated the Ghana Urban Air Quality Project in Cape Coast in May 2019, which subsequently expanded its operations to other cities, deploying approximately 60 air-quality sensors throughout Accra, Tema, Cape Coast, Takoradi, and Kumasi, with the aid of partners like the Clean Air Fund. Additionally, to verify the precision of these low-cost sensors, the project incorporated ten donated regulatory-grade PM2.5 monitors.
Prof. Amegah's research further delves into the health implications of street vendors, particularly women, exposed to high vehicular emissions. He observed that many of these vendors, after spending extensive hours in polluted environments, return to homes where they cook over coal or wood stoves, inadvertently exposing their young children to detrimental air quality. He emphasized the substantial public health and economic ramifications of air pollution in Ghana, a concern that's been largely overshadowed.
Reiterating the gravity of this environmental crisis, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) identified air pollution as the primary environmental hazard in Ghana, accounting for a majority of the nation's deaths and disabilities. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) further documented that exposure to polluted air during childhood could result in cognitive impairments and severe health conditions in adulthood.
In Ghana, a myriad of factors, ranging from solid fuel combustion to vehicle emissions and dust from unpaved roads, aggravate the air pollution situation.
This story was produced in collaboration with New Narratives, with funding generously provided by the Clean Air Fund. It's important to note that the funders did not influence the story's content.