Accra's Traffic and Trash Issues

By Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH

While I have found many beautiful and wondrous things during the first week of my visit to Accra, Ghana, I am also troubled by a few of the city's public health issues.

Traffic and Air Quality

There are only a few major roads to serve all of the people who use vehicles in the city of Accra. This results in massive delays and air pollution. We were told by one of our hosts from Accra that there are times when the traffic is so horrendous that he simply shuts off his car and goes shopping in a nearby market.


Adding to the problem of traffic is the fact that hawking occurs. A comparison in the United States to "hawking" would be when people walk up to your car selling roses or asking for donations. In Ghana, however, you might be approached 4 or 5 times a minute by people carrying peanuts or toilet paper rolls on their heads, more often when traffic is backed up.

Aside from the air pollution caused by such impediments, people are using more gasoline to power their cars as their sit in traffic and are less likely to walk due to the risk of injury and poor air quality. I am not even sure how strict the emissions standards are (if any) on these vehicles, and the gasoline pumps do not say "unleaded" either. Some recommendations to address this issue would be to improve the quality of the gasoline and to create more stringent air pollution a "beltway" that goes around the town instead of straight through it. This would also reduce the amount of illegal hawking between the lanes of vehicles.

Inadequate Trash Facilities

Makola Market, Accra, Ghana 2011

Last week our group went to the Makola Market to look for fabric and site see. I was overwhelmed not only by the crowds, but by the smell. It was a mixture of rotting fish, human waste, sweat, garbage, air pollution from the traffic, and fresh fruit (which was being sold along the sidewalks). Upon investigation, I noticed there were very few trash facilities. It was actually common to see people throw items into the street or drains. Such activities provide breeding grounds for disease vectors, ruins the inherent aesthetic beauty of the market, deters tourism, and impacts water quality. Drinking water from plastic bottles is common place, as a result, only contributing to the trash burden. An investment of resources for Accra's waste management system would provide significant returns.