Researchers at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have engaged officials of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) to test a new national Air Quality Data Hub aimed at bringing Ghana’s fragmented air quality information onto a single platform.The utility-testing session brought together EPA directors, managers and technical staff to assess the platform’s functionality, usability and relevance to the Authority’s operational needs ahead of its wider implementation.The initiative is being developed by the Climate Diagnostics, Air Quality and Artificial Intelligence (CDAI) Lab in KNUST’s Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, in collaboration with the EPA and with support from the Clean Air Fund.The proposed hub is intended to address a longstanding challenge in Ghana’s air quality monitoring system, where information is generated and held by different institutions and projects, often using varying formats, standards and access arrangements.The project team says the challenge is therefore not necessarily a lack of air quality data, but limited access to and integration of information that already exists.The hub is designed to provide a centralised and collaborative digital infrastructure for hosting and managing air quality data from an expanding network of sensors across Ghana.It is also expected to support near-real-time data sharing, evidence-based policymaking, regulatory decision-making, research and greater public awareness of air quality.Bringing data out of silosDuring the engagement, the KNUST team demonstrated key components of the platform, including its data ingestion system, PostgreSQL/PostGIS data storage, data-request functions and a dashboard providing a map-based view of air quality information.The system is designed to accommodate near-real-time data while incorporating security measures such as encrypted data transfers, role-based access and mirrored backups.The testing session allowed EPA users to interact directly with the platform and identify areas that may require improvement before full implementation.Principal Investigator of the CDAI Lab, Dr Jeffrey Nii Armah Aryee, stressed the importance of developing a centralised system capable of bringing together air quality information generated by different monitoring networks and institutions.The platform is expected to make such information easier to access and use for regulatory decisions, research, policy development, reporting and public education.EPA expected to take ownershipUnder the proposed implementation arrangement, KNUST will serve as the backend and technical lead, while Delectis is responsible for frontend development.The EPA is expected to take ownership of the platform once an agreed sustainability plan is established.A physical hub is also being set up at the EPA, with provisions including office space, fibre connectivity, a workstation, display facilities and physical and cybersecurity measures.The project team has also been seeking historical and near-real-time air quality data from data holders in both raw and corrected forms, together with the metadata required to make the information useful and comparable.Chief Executive Officer of the EPA, Prof Nana Ama Browne Klutse, said reliable data would be central to effective air quality management in Ghana.“Addressing this challenge effectively requires not only strong policy, but also reliable, accessible, and timely air quality data.”She noted that Ghana’s Air Quality Management Regulation, 2025, mandates the EPA to develop and host a national air quality monitoring information system and provide a dashboard to facilitate routine reporting.The regulation also provides for air quality data from district assemblies, academia, research institutions and other relevant stakeholders to feed into national and international databases.Prof Browne Klutse said the regulation further underscored the need for stronger collaboration among institutions that generate and use air quality information.Testing before handoverThe EPA engagement forms part of a broader implementation roadmap that began with stakeholder engagement and partnership-building in 2025, followed by system development and testing in 2026.The current phase focuses on validation and sustainability, with further stakeholder engagement expected before the planned launch, handover and transition to long-term ownership by the EPA.The utility-testing session began with a presentation of the frontend by the Delectis team, followed by a demonstration of the administrator interface by Master Tonon Shafiu Abdul, system architecture and model developer with the CDAI Lab.Participants were encouraged to assess the platform critically, raise concerns and propose changes based on how the system could fit into their existing operational workflows.Discussions focused on the platform’s flexibility for practical use, its ability to improve engagement between the EPA and air quality data stakeholders, and the requirements for keeping the hub operational beyond the project period.The project team will incorporate feedback from the session and undertake further testing as preparations continue towards wider implementation.For the CDAI Lab, the exercise marks a shift from simply developing a digital platform to ensuring that the system responds to the practical needs of the institutions that will ultimately use, maintain and rely on it.The long-term objective is to establish a national air quality information system capable of turning data generated across Ghana into accessible evidence for healthier communities, stronger institutions and more informed environmental decision-making.The CDAI Lab is therefore encouraging institutions, data-holding organisations, researchers, development partners and other stakeholders to contribute relevant air quality data, technical expertise and partnerships to strengthen the hub and support the development of a sustainable national air 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