Ghana's air quality improves for the first time since 2021; country places 11th in Africa - IQAir 2025 report
Ghana's air quality improved for the first time since 2021, according to the IQAir 2025 report. The report recorded Ghana's national annual average at 21.3 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³). This is the country's lowest reading since IQAir began consistently tracking it.
The improvement moves Ghana from 8th most polluted country in Africa in 2024 to 11th in 2025. In 2024, Kumasi surpassed Accra as Ghana's most polluted city, registering 39.5 µg/m³, while Accra recorded 36.3 µg/m³. Ghana's 2025 reading of 21.3 µg/m³ places it in the middle of a tight cluster of West African nations. Senegal recorded 21.8 µg/m³, Cameroon came in at 21.0 µg/m³, Nigeria recorded 23.4 µg/m³, and Ivory Coast recorded 15.8 µg/m³.
The timing of the improvement points to several converging factors: the passage of Ghana's first comprehensive Air Quality Management Regulation in September 2025, an expanding network of low-cost sensors under the Breathe Accra initiative, and the possible influence of shifting seasonal and meteorological conditions. Analysts and researchers have also noted that 2024's figure of 35.8 µg/m³ may have been inflated by an exceptionally dry and dusty harmattan season.
Quick Summary
Ghana's air quality shows signs of improvement, according to the latest IQAir report - a welcome change after years of worsening pollution. While this progress is encouraging, there's still a long way to go before the air meets global safety standards.
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