The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) has intensified national dialogue on the impact of cooking fuels on public health and the environment through its 2025 Annual Lecture in the Sciences, held on Thursday, 9 October 2025, at the Academy’s Secretariat in Accra.
Delivering the lecture on the theme, “Fuel for Thought: The Impact of Cooking Fuels on High School Air Quality,” Professor Marian Asantewah Nkansah, FGA, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), called for the adoption of clean cooking fuels in schools to curb air pollution and protect the health of students and staff.
Prof. Nkansah explained that the continued use of solid fuels like firewood and charcoal in school kitchens contributes significantly to environmental pollution and exposes both staff and students to serious health risks such as heart attacks, irregular heartbeat, asthma attacks, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and increased hospital admissions and emergency visits.
“The polluted air in these settings becomes a daily health risk to everyone who comes to teach and learn,” she said. “The chemicals released from burning solid fuels remain trapped within the surroundings and are inhaled, leading to respiratory problems, mild seizures, and other health challenges over time.”
She emphasised that smoke and chemical emissions from burning solid fuels in enclosed spaces increase the risk of respiratory diseases and other long-term health complications in individuals who live, work, or study in such environments.
To address the challenge, Prof. Nkansah urged a national transition to cleaner cooking solutions, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), improved cookstoves, and the use of chimneys. She urged collaboration among key government agencies including the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to develop a coherent policy framework to promote the use of clean cooking fuels in public institutions.
“Once codified in law, such a policy will reduce dependence on solid fuels and safeguard the health of those in our educational environments,” she added.
Prof. Nkansah further proposed that government agencies, research institutions such as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and private sector partners work together to design and promote energy-efficient cookstoves as a sustainable alternative.
Chairing the lecture, Prof. Alfred Apau Oteng-Yeboah, FGA, Vice President of the Sciences Section of the Academy, commended Prof. Nkansah for drawing attention to a critical yet often overlooked public health issue. He underscored the Academy’s role in bridging science and policy gap, noting that evidence-based advocacy on issues such as clean energy use in schools is essential for achieving the country’s environmental and health targets.
Also in attendance were Emerita Professor Isabella Akyinbah Quakyi, FGA, President of GAAS; members of the GAAS Council; Fellows of the Academy; and students from Accra Academy Senior High School and Health Concern Ghana, signalling the Academy’s commitment to fostering informed engagement across generations.
The Annual Lectures in the Sciences form part of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences’ mandate to promote excellence in knowledge dissemination, encourage scientific inquiry, and foster informed dialogue on issues of national and global importance.
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