Trapped by Heat: Agbogbloshie and the dangers of urban neglect

As Ghana intensifies its fight against climate change, much of the attention has centered on flood control and drainage systems.

But in Agbogbloshie, one of Accra’s most vulnerable urban communities, residents are battling another silent and deadly challenge extreme urban heat, worsened by toxic pollution and overcrowded housing conditions.

While national initiatives like the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development Project (GARID) aim to improve the city’s climate resilience, many say the poorest neighbourhoods are being left behind.

In Agbogbloshie, heat is not just uncomfortable it’s life-threatening. The community’s narrow alleys, metal roofs, and lack of ventilation trap heat, turning homes into ovens where temperatures soar above safe levels.

“My children have heat rashes every day. We pour water on the floor to cool the place. But still, it’s like we’re suffocating,” said Madjin Wachichi, a yam seller.

“We pay 80 cedis for this room, but it’s like living in fire,” added Inusah Damata, a maize seller.

Public health experts warn that such chronic heat exposure can lead to heat exhaustion, dehydration, and respiratory problems, especially among children and the elderly.

Agbogbloshie is infamous as one of West Africa’s largest e-waste recycling sites. Every day, scrap dealers burn electrical wires to recover metals a process that releases thick smoke filled with dangerous chemicals.

“I know the smoke is dangerous. It makes my chest hurt, but this is how I survive,” said a local scrap dealer.

According to Prof. Felix Hughes, a physicist at the University of Ghana, burning e-waste exposes people to heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium.

“Inhaling fumes from burning e-waste introduces toxins into the lungs, causing long-term respiratory diseases and neurological damage,” Prof. Hughes explained.

These emissions combine with the intense heat, creating a toxic mix that threatens both air quality and public health in Accra’s inner-city zones.

Research by Dr. Ebenezer Amankwah, a geography lecturer at the University of Ghana, describes a growing “heat-health burden” in informal settlements such as Agbogbloshie.

His 2024 study shows that indoor temperatures can be up to 5°C higher in slum areas compared to neighbouring neighbourhoods.

“When you combine heat with poor housing and toxic environments, you create a public health time bomb. GARID’s interventions must reach these communities urgently,” Dr. Amankwah noted.

The study links these conditions to higher cases of heat-related illness, respiratory infections, and fatigue among residents evidence that climate inequality is deepening in Accra’s low-income areas.

To combat rising temperatures, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is promoting urban greening projects under the GARID initiative planting trees, creating shaded spaces, and reducing heat in densely populated zones.

“We want to reduce heat by increasing shade. Trees, not tiles, are key,” said Prof. Nana Ama Klutse, CEO of the EPA.

However, Agbogbloshie has yet to benefit from these interventions. The few trees that exist struggle against the surrounding concrete, smoke, and overcrowding.

Residents have started community clean-ups and heat awareness campaigns, but they say government support is needed to make any lasting impact.

For the people of Agbogbloshie, climate change in Ghana isn’t just about rising seas or floods it’s about daily survival under deadly heat and toxic air.

Without urgent, inclusive action, urban neglect will continue to cost lives in Accra’s poorest neighbourhoods.

“Climate Resilience Must Be Inclusive – No One Left Behind.”

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