Household in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) -Ghana

The report examines the intersection of poverty, environmental degradation, and health in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA). It identifies critical deficiencies in water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, and air quality, linking these to high prevalences of childhood diarrhoea and respiratory infections. The study highlights that while the wealthy have better access to amenities, the poor face severe risks from shared facilities, water vendors, and biomass cooking fuels. It concludes that integrated environmental strategies and poverty alleviation are essential for improving public health in the region.

• Water access in GAMA is highly stratified by wealth; while 35.2% of households have indoor piping, the poor rely heavily on water vendors, who charge significantly more than official tariffs.
• Water supply irregularities lead to widespread household storage, which increases contamination risks; 95.7% of households in GAMA store water, often in barrels or buckets.
• Sanitation facilities are severely overcrowded, with 40.5% of the population relying on communal facilities open to the whole neighbourhood, leading to open defecation.
• Solid waste management is inadequate, with the Waste Management Department capable of collecting only about 60% of the 900 tons of refuse generated daily.
• Malarial mosquitoes are a major health hazard, and there is evidence that Anopheles mosquitoes are adapting to breed in urban household water containers.
• The use of chemical insect control is associated with respiratory problems: mosquito coils are linked to childhood acute respiratory infection, and pump-spray insecticides to symptoms in adult women.
• Food contamination from vendors is a significant risk factor for childhood diarrhoea; the prevalence of the disease was roughly twice as high among households that patronised food vendors.
• Household air pollution from biomass fuels is a serious concern, with wood users facing the highest exposure to respirable particulates (mean 587 μg/m³), followed by charcoal users.
• Acute respiratory infections in children are associated with factors such as the presence of children during cooking, leaky roofs, and the use of mosquito coils.
• Residents place a high economic value on environmental improvements, with insect control and water availability being the most valued, though ability to pay is a major constraint for the poor.
• Environmental management in GAMA is fragmented across at least eight government ministries, creating significant coordination challenges.

APA

Benneh, G., Songsore, J., Nabila, J. S., Amuzu, A., Tutu, K., Yangyuoru, Y., & McGranahan, G. (1993). Household in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) -Ghana. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Report-EnvironmentalProblemsAccraGhana-McGranahan-1993-lowres-scan.pdf

Chicago

Benneh, George, Jacob Songsore, John S. Nabila, A.T. Amuzu, K.A. Tutu, Yvon Yangyuoru, and Gordon McGranahan. Household in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) -Ghana. Stockholm Environment Institute, 1993. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Report-EnvironmentalProblemsAccraGhana-McGranahan-1993-lowres-scan.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Benneh |first1=George |last2=Songsore |first2=Jacob |last3=Nabila |first3=John S. |last4=Amuzu |first4=A.T. |last5=Tutu |first5=K.A. |last6=Yangyuoru |first6=Yvon |last7=McGranahan |first7=Gordon |title=Household in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) -Ghana |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=1993 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Report-EnvironmentalProblemsAccraGhana-McGranahan-1993-lowres-scan.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{benneh1993household, author = {Benneh, George and Songsore, Jacob and Nabila, John S. and Amuzu, A.T. and Tutu, K.A. and Yangyuoru, Yvon and McGranahan, Gordon}, title = {{Household in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) -Ghana}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {1993}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-Report-EnvironmentalProblemsAccraGhana-McGranahan-1993-lowres-scan.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }