By Samuel Armoo (PhD), a Ghanaian public health scientist with a key interest in the environment

Email: sarmoo@csir-water.com

I drive past the Agbobloshie electronic waste (E-waste) site every weekday morning to my office at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research - Water Research Institute, located at the Airport Residential Area in Accra. I use the same route on my return to my residence at Korle Bu (English translation: in the valley of the Korle Lagoon). There is one constant feature: the open fires with their thick black smoke are never extinguished. I stand at night on the top floor of my apartment building at Korle Bu, and this thick smoke from the open fires from the E-waste site is constantly poisoning the air. I am burdened to give voice to what is otherwise people’s livelihood in a region with few other opportunities, because I am a neighboring Ghanaian. Yet I am also a father who, like all parents of young children, feel responsible for the well being of future generations. This means being responsible for safeguarding our environment.

In addition to the air pollution from the Agbobloshie E-waste site, the banks of the Korle Lagoon in Accra are also toxic to people’s health. The toxic elements from the burning plastics and metals are being washed into the lagoon during rainfall. Were you to visit the lagoon, you will see the dead computers and other electronic gadgets competing for space in the lagoon. What worries me most are the toxic chemicals in the soil and in the water that we cannot easily see. We only see their effects, after the damage is done.

The Korle Lagoon has a glorious past. It was once covered with lush vegetation and contained a variety of wildlife and fish species. It was an important source of livelihood for the Ga people of Ghana, who are the traditional custodians of the land. Areas around the lagoon were prime and prestigious, evidenced by the construction of the first major general hospital in Ghana in 1923. Certainly, the sick needed a wholesome and healthy environment to recover from illness. The Korle Lagoon was a great fit. The Korle lagoon was also a great place for sporting and for leisure activities such as regattas.

Visiting the Korle Lagoon today, it’s difficult to believe that this was a site of healing and of joyous regattas. The boats of the 1930’s are now replaced by rejected computers that have escaped the burning. Instead of health there is now disease and suffering.

Some actions by concerned global citizen groups, including partners of the Environment Care Consortium, have done something to help reduce the burden of this E-waste problem. These have led to some positive outputs, which need to be commended. In addition to being a Ghanaian and a father, I am also a scientist with a keen interest in how science can provide transformative solutions to public health problems. The need for immediate solutions has been a major motivation for me deciding to follow this career path. I hope to be effective by being part of a growing network for Environment Care.

Can action research in the Korle Lagoon help provide scientific and governance interventions that improve people’s lives and the environment? In my opinion it worth trying. What do you think? If we can make improvements in paces like the Agbobloshie E-waste site, we may likely be able to do the same for many other people in need of solutions.

I end with an urgent call to help save the Korle Lagoon. I hope that my children and their children will one day see a healthy and viable Korle Lagoon.