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

RATIONALE

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.

Objective

This project is expected to achieve:

• Strengthened National Air Quality Governance by improving regulatory frameworks
• Enhanced Monitoring and Data Management to provide to those concerned real-time pollution data for informed decision-making.
• Development of a Regional Center to facilitate harmonized air quality management and policy development across the MENA region.
• 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 of air quality management through capacity-building and identification of funding sources for long-term operations.

Activities

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. 

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