Engr Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen’s investigation into missing catalytic converters in Ghanaian vehicles highlights the public value of environmental journalism and the need for stronger action against air pollution.
When a vehicle moves through the streets of Kumasi, its exhaust fumes can easily disappear into the traffic, leaving pedestrians, traders, commuters and roadside workers exposed to polluted air. But what if a small component designed to reduce those emissions has been removed from the vehicle?
That question was at the centre of an investigation by Engr Mahmud Mohammed-Nurudeen, whose reporting on missing catalytic converters in Ghanaian vehicles has drawn attention to the environmental consequences of a problem many motorists may not fully understand.
The investigation, published by MyJoyOnline in December 2025, has become a notable example of the public-interest journalism that informs his work as Executive Director of the West African Journalism for Environment, Science, Health and Agriculture (WAJESHA).
On Saturday, October 24, 2026, Engr Mohammed-Nurudeen received the Best Science, Climate and Environment Reporter award at the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Ashanti Regional Media Excellence Awards, recognising his work in a field where scientific evidence, environmental protection and public accountability increasingly intersect.
The recognition comes at a time when air pollution remains a serious environmental challenge for Ghana, particularly in urban areas where traffic, commercial activity and human movement bring large numbers of people into contact with vehicle emissions.
Investigating the pollution behind everyday traffic
Published on December 21, 2025, the report, “Experts say missing engine part in most Ghanaian vehicles polluting air, sickening people,” examined the removal and theft of catalytic converters, devices fitted to vehicle exhaust systems to reduce harmful emissions.
The investigation took readers to Suame Magazine in Kumasi, one of Ghana’s major automobile repair centres, where mechanics described a recurring practice of removing the devices.
An exhaust welder, Mark Opoku, told Mohammed-Nurudeen that motorists frequently requested the removal of catalytic converters, sometimes because they believed the components reduced vehicle performance or were too expensive to replace.
The investigation also explored the financial incentive behind the practice. Catalytic converters contain valuable metals, including platinum, palladium and rhodium, which can attract thieves and buyers in the scrap market.
Drawing on interviews with automobile engineering experts, mechanics, an air-quality official, a pulmonologist, traders and a vehicle owner, the report explained how the removal of the devices can increase harmful emissions and why motorists may be acting on misconceptions about their vehicles.
A senior automobile engineering lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Godwin Kafui Ayetor, was among the experts who explained the technical and economic implications of removing catalytic converters.
The report also examined the wider context of used-vehicle imports, emission testing and enforcement of environmental regulations, placing an everyday automotive practice within Ghana’s broader air-quality challenge.
Its central question was straightforward: what happens when a component designed to control pollution is removed from vehicles operating on the country’s roads?
Bringing environmental evidence closer to the public
Environmental journalism can sometimes appear distant from the daily concerns of ordinary people, particularly when it relies heavily on technical language, scientific measurements and policy documents.
Mohammed-Nurudeen’s investigation approached the issue through places and people familiar to readers: automobile workshops, busy markets, school environments and roads filled with vehicles.
At Kumasi Central Market, traders described their exposure to vehicle fumes. The report also drew on research conducted by a KNUST Department of Meteorology and Climate Science team, which monitored air pollution at 14 schools in Kumasi between 2022 and 2024.
The study’s lead, Dr Edmund Yamba, told the journalist that pollution levels at most of the monitored schools exceeded safe levels, with schools near busy roads experiencing particularly concerning conditions.
These accounts helped explain why the condition of a vehicle’s exhaust system is not solely a matter for its owner or mechanic. Emissions enter shared spaces, exposing people who may have little control over the vehicles passing their workplaces, homes or schools.
The report further examined Ghana’s regulatory response, including provisions of the Environmental Protection Act, 2025, and the need for effective vehicle-emission testing and enforcement.
By bringing technical explanations, individual experiences and regulatory questions into one investigation, the reporting made an environmental issue accessible to a wider audience.
An award for a demanding journalism beat
The GJA Ashanti Regional Media Excellence Awards recognise journalism published or broadcast during the 2025 calendar year. The 2025 awards were presented in 2026 under the theme, “Celebrating Excellence, Championing Credibility: Journalism in the Age of AI.”
Mohammed-Nurudeen’s award places environmental, scientific and climate reporting among the areas of journalism receiving recognition in the Ashanti Region.
The category is particularly relevant in a country confronting environmental pressures ranging from air pollution and illegal mining to forest loss, climate-related risks and threats to water resources.
Reporting these issues requires journalists to interpret scientific findings accurately, question claims, identify the people affected and examine whether policies and regulations are delivering the intended results.
The catalytic-converter investigation illustrates that challenge. Understanding the problem required the journalist to examine how the devices work, why they are removed, the commercial value of their component metals, the consequences for emissions and the regulatory measures available to address the practice.
The award recognises Mohammed-Nurudeen’s work in this specialist field at a time when reliable reporting on environmental and scientific issues is important to public understanding and decision-making.
Connecting journalism to WAJESHA’s mission
As Director of WAJESHA, Mohammed-Nurudeen works within a broader mission focused on journalism covering the environment, science, health and agriculture across West Africa.
These reporting areas are closely connected. Environmental degradation can threaten livelihoods and food production; climate change can intensify risks to communities; and scientific evidence can help the public understand the causes and consequences of these challenges.
For WAJESHA, the award offers an opportunity to draw attention to the importance of building journalistic capacity in these fields and supporting reporting that places evidence and the public interest at its centre.
The recognition also highlights the contribution journalists can make by translating complex issues into information that citizens can use to understand their surroundings and assess the decisions affecting their lives.
The award does not, by itself, resolve the environmental problems documented in the investigation. Nor does recognition replace the need for effective regulation, responsible vehicle maintenance and public education.
But journalism can help establish what is happening, explain why it matters and keep questions of accountability in public view.
In Kumasi, where traffic is part of everyday life, the missing catalytic converter offers an example of how a seemingly small mechanical decision can have consequences beyond the vehicle itself.
By investigating that connection, Mohammed-Nurudeen brought a technical environmental issue into public discussion. His GJA Ashanti award recognises his work in a field where sound evidence and clear reporting remain essential to understanding Ghana’s environmental challenges.
