WHO, together with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, the Ghana Health Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, UN-Habitat and ICLEI, hosted a two-day workshop on the premises of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly in May 2019 to support action towards healthier urban environments and engage other municipalities of the GAMA region to jointly act on air quality, public health and the reduction of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).
With representatives from several assemblies and municipalities (including Lagos, Nigeria and Dakar, Senegal), ministries and other relevant institutions, the workshop took participants through dynamic working sessions to discuss relevant topics such as the health and economic impacts of sectoral policies, vertical integration, financing options, and building from the work developed under the Urban health and sustainable development pilot project in the city.
The workshop was highly successful, with wide media coverage creating a growing interest along with requests for scaling action to other regions. The workshop also informed the ongoing development of Accra’s Climate Action Plan and supported Accra’s leadership role in the global agenda against air pollution.