Agbogbloshie in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, is a massive dump where refuse has accumulated over decades.

An acrid haze hung over a sprawling dump in Ghana's capital, Accra, as excavators gouged into mounds of smoldering garbage.

Thin plumes of black smoke curled from burning plastic and rubber, mingling with the rank odor of stagnant lagoon water.

At Agbogbloshie, a district on the Korle Lagoon delta, thousands of tonnes of refuse have accumulated over decades, overwhelming the fragile wetlands overlooking a slum of around 80,000 residents, many of them migrants and traders.

For scrap dealer James Hassan, a 31-year-old Liberian immigrant, it is both his home and livelihood.

Without gloves or a mask, he sifts daily through piles of unwanted electronics and metal for scraps to sell.

The skin on his palms is thickened and scarred from cuts and rashes, but he has become accustomed to the pain and discomfort.

"I have headaches and coughs after long days under the sun, but I have never sought medical care.…