September 07, 2024
Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin
Speaker of Parliament
Parliament House
P.O. Box 1156
Accra, Greater Accra
Ghana
Dear Rt. Hon. Speaker, Alban Bagbin,
I am writing on behalf of Clean Air One Atmosphere (CAOA) to express our concerns regarding the critical issues of air pollution in Ghana, and the urgent need for legislative instruments to define pathways for sustainable mitigation strategies.
First off, the “Climate Change Bill 2023” proposed by Hon. Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu (MP for Madina), and his colleagues Hon. Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw (MP for Wa East), and Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (MP for North Tongu) underscores the need for the government of Ghana to tackle air pollution and climate change together as the two are intrinsically linked. However, its progress has been slower than anticipated, and this is a cause for concern.
Mr Speaker, permit me to politely draw your attention to your recent commitment to advancing legislative efforts to support climate resilient and sustainable development efforts in Ghana through the launch of the “Ghana Parliamentary Climate Caucus.” Your dedication to this crucial course and assurance of working with wider stakeholders to advance and deploy evidence-based legislative instruments for environmental and public health protection is commendable. With this in mind, I respectfully urge you to prioritize the passage of the Clean Air Bill by engaging the house on the proposal by Hon Francis-Xavier et al.
Mr Speaker, the health, environmental and economic damaging effects of air pollution in Ghana is alarming considering current statistics. For example, economically, we lose nearly $1.6 billion due to our inability to manage and control air pollution (Fisher et al., 2021). Health wise, approximately 3,300 newborn deaths in Ghana were linked to exposure to air pollution and 10% of air pollution induced deaths in Ghana were children under age 5. Also, air pollution reduced life expectancy in Ghana by 2 years in 2019 (HEI). It is evident that immediate intervention is needed to address the sources of air pollution, specifically vehicular emissions, windblown dust from untarred roads, solid fuel use in poor households and socioeconomic communities, and industrial activities. It is equally important to provide government support for the Ghana EPA to scale up air quality monitoring efforts beyond the Greater Accra Region and openly communicate the reported air quality data to support air pollution and health effects studies, a prerequisite for defining mitigation strategies.
Mr Speaker, it will interest you to note that, in preparation for this year’s general election, there’s no commitment from the two major political parties to clean our air or a robust strategy for environmental pollution management in Ghana. This is disheartening; highlighting the need for your outfit to swiftly consider a state-specific environmental pollution management plan supported by our constitution that every political party running the affairs of Ghana must adhere to.
In view of the above, I urge you to give due priority to the following:
Finally, as we celebrate “International Clean Air Day” today, I am truly hopeful that you will swiftly respond to our letter to initiate a national conversation and commitment from all stakeholders, specifically our political leaders, to clean our common air to pave the way for a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in Ghana.
Thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Victor Dzidefo Ablo
Lead, CAOA
Email: caoa.africa@gmail.com
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