Ghana and West Africa - Establishing a center of excellence and enhancing air quality management

Overview

This project responds to the request by Ghana’s Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to champion the Africa Clean Air Programme. This project aims to strengthen Ghana’s air quality management policies and to support a West African Center of Excellence for Clean Air hosted by Ghana, building on existing institutions. The center will build national and regional capacity for air quality management, focusing on the Greater Accra Region and Kumasi, with the potential to scale across West Africa.

Ghana has recognised the strategic importance of acting on air pollution and climate together. Ghana is a founding partner of the CCAC and has endorsed a National Action Plan to Mitigate SLCPs which identifies measures that both improve air quality and mitigate climate change. It is the first country in the world to include short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) and other air pollutants into their fourth official National Greenhouse Gas Inventory  and among the first countries to quantify the health benefits that can be achieved from meeting its NDCs. Also at sub-national level, Ghana demonstrated strong commitment to address air pollution and climate simultaneously. Examples include Accra becoming the first African city to join CCAC’s Breathelife campaign and being part of Breathe Cities, a global initiative aiming to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions by 30% by 2030. 

The regional centre to be established through this project will support the development and implementation of comprehensive national and regional air quality management strategies and policies, strengthen air quality governance, and enhance air quality monitoring and data management informing policy and decision-making processes. It will serve as a center for cross-border collaboration, learning, and scaling up of best practices in air quality management. It will promote financial and technical sustainability through capacity-building, strategic partnerships and finance strategies.

The project is expected to achieve:

• Development of a Regional Center to facilitate harmonized air quality management and policy development across West Africa.

• Strengthened National Air Quality Governance by improving regulatory frameworks and aligning them with ACAP.

• Enhanced Monitoring and Data Management to provide real-time pollution data for informed decision-making.

• Regional Coordination by fostering collaboration across governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including the integration of local, national, and regional air quality data.

• Financial and Technical Sustainability through capacity-building and identification of funding sources for long-term operations.

Relevant Policies:

• Environmental Protection Act, 2025 (Act 1124): Focuses on monitoring air quality and implementing policies for air pollution control.

• National Development Strategy (2020–2030): Ghana’s roadmap for enhancing environmental sustainability and improving air quality.

• National Air Quality Management Plans (AQMPs): Specifically, the AQMP for Greater Accra Region, which this project will support and expand to Kumasi.

• National action plan to mitigate short lived climate pollutants

More information on Ghana’s work on short-lived climate pollutants can be found on their Partner Page.  

Who to involve

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Ministry of Energy; Ministry of Environment Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI); Energy Commission (EC); Ministry of Trade and Industry; Ministry of Agriculture; Metropolitan, Municipal & District Assemblies (MMDAs) ; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology; University of Ghana; Local government authorities of Accra and Kumasi; Academic institutions and civil society organizations; International development partners and funding agencies; ECOWAS and member states. 

Expected results

Outcome 1: The Government of Ghana has strengthened regulatory frameworks for air quality management by the end of the project or soon after

Indicator: Number of laws, regulations, or other policy mechanisms with air pollutants and SLCP targets or mitigation measures formally adopted, endorsed, and/or implemented

Output 1.1: National air quality regulatory frameworks for Accra and Kumasi updated in line with the Environmental Protection Act (2025) and ACAP.

Output 1.2: Institutional mandates and inter-agency coordination mechanisms for air quality management formalized across relevant entities (i.e. MESTI, EPA, DVLA, and MMDAs). 

Outcome 2: The Government of Ghana has improved air quality monitoring systems and institutionalized data-driven decision-making by the end of the project or soon after

Indicator: Number of SLCP mitigation tools, technologies, or practices adopted

Output 2.1: Air quality data management platform developed and connected to national databases and regional systems.

Output 2.2: Training programs conducted for EPA, MMDAs, and municipal officers on air quality data collection, analysis, and application in policy and planning.

Outcome 3: A centre of excellence is established to increase technical and institutional capacities on air quality management for West Africa (including ECOWAS member states) by the end of the project. 

Indicator: Number of government entities with a demonstrated improved capacity for SLCP action

Output 3.1: West African Regional Center of Excellence designed and formally endorsed by ECOWAS as a regional mechanism for air quality leadership, science-policy advice and coordination. This should include at the minimum: 

• Identify and engage relevant national stakeholders including universities, research organizations, air quality monitoring services, government entities  
• Assess existing national and regional capabilities for air quality management and gaps in technical knowledge and institutional arrangements to be addressed by the center
• Develop the institutional and governance structure of the center
• Develop detailed budget for start up and operation
• Leverage political support on a national and regional level from ECOWAS for setting up and operating the center
• Develop services to be provided by the centre including:
• Supports the development of robust air quality monitoring and analysis systems
• Strengthens regional capacity in air quality management
• Facilitates evidence-based policy and action plan development
• Supports implementation of effective air quality improvement measures
• Evaluates intervention impacts and shares knowledge gained
• Sustainable financing and resource mobilization plan , including proposals submitted to national, regional and international funding mechanisms.
• Regional awareness raising and communication strategy.

Output 3.2: Regional knowledge exchange platform and learning labs launched by center, supporting south-south learning and best practice transfer, in collaboration with AQMx. 

Output 3.3: Regional policy consultations convened and strategy developed to promote harmonized air quality standards and regulations among ECOWAS member states. 

APPLICATION PROCESs

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible for consideration, project proposals must meet the following requirements:

• Complete and submitted before the deadline
• Submitted by a non-governmental organization (NGO), intergovernmental organization (IGO), or other not-for-profit entity.
• Requested funding is within the estimated budget amount, or includes a clear justification for additional expenses
• Project duration is less than 24 months
• Budget criteria are met and spending caps on expenses are respected.
• Please note that entities will be required to provide the last three (3) audited financial statements to be eligible for CCAC funding. These statements may be provided along with the application for funding or at the request of the CCAC Secretariat during the evaluation process.

For-profit entities may only participate in the project as stakeholders, co-funders, or end users. Applicants are encouraged to include for-profit entities in the development of the project proposal and/or during project implementation if their ownership of the proposed solution is key to the project’s success.  

How to apply

Eligible applicants are invited to apply using the Application Form and Excel Budget Form. Specific instructions on completing these forms are available in both documents.

Applicants may choose to follow the cost range proposed above OR propose a different budget supported by a clear justification. However, applicants should note that cost efficiency will play a significant role in the selection process.

The completed Application Form and Excel Budget Form should be submitted to secretariat [at] ccacoalition.org.

Evaluation criteria

Proposals will be evaluated against the following criteria:

• Presents a clear plan to achieve the required outcomes during the lifetime of the project or soon after
• Includes a plan or activities to enable the scaling up of, replication of, or sustained use of project results over time
• Sets out a clear approach for enabling or contributing to SLCP emissions reductions and resulting co-benefits
• Involves relevant stakeholders
• Approach is grounded in a strong understanding of relevant risks
• Complements other relevant initiatives, funding mechanisms, and existing policy processes
• Applicant demonstrates necessary capacity and experience to perform the work
• A realistic, cost-effective, and clearly justified budget and approach is proposed
• Project meets the minimum requirements for the OECD DAC gender equality marker Score 1
   
  Selection process
• A preliminary review of proposals submitted by the deadline will be conducted by members of the CCAC Secretariat, Funding Task Team, and Board, in consultation with relevant CCAC Partners.
• Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their proposals in further detail and to respond to follow-up questions about their application.
• Successful applicants will be invited to develop a Project Implementation Plan and Detailed Budget in consultation with the CCAC Secretariat and relevant CCAC Partners.
• The selection process may take up to 6 months after the closing date of the call for proposals. Due to the high volume of requests, the CCAC will not respond to requests for updates or feedback during this time.

Due diligence and procurement

Due diligence  

CCAC implementers with UNEP contractual agreements must meet with the following requirements:   

• Have adequate financial resources to perform the contract and meet all existing commitments (financial health)
• Be able to provide proof of registration, proof of not-for-profit status and audited financial statements for the last three completed fiscal years  
• Have a record of satisfactory performance with UNEP/CCAC, when applicable; and  - Not have been suspended or debarred by UNEP/CCAC or another UN agency. UNEP/CCAC also considers entities included in the Security Council Resolution Lists to be ineligible for UNEP/CCAC agreements. 
  * (inter)governmental entities/ United Nations are exempt from this requirement

Contract requirements

If selected for funding, your project will be contracted through the United Nations. Organisation(s) selected to implement the project must meet the following due diligence and procurement rules.

Procurement

As a general rule, Implementation Agreements allow for incidental procurement only.