Ghana gears up for green program with massive tree planting

Ghana is poised to follow a path of green environmental evolution as President Nana Akufo-Addo, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, among other high profile figures, lead a planned tree planting project for June of this year.

This gesture will kick off a national tree planting project called “Planting a Tree to Green Ghana”.

Other prominent figures to take part in the exercise at the birth of the project are Vice President Mahamadu Bawumia, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, and Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah and Yaa-Naa Abubakar Mahama II.

Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor told parliament in Accra on Friday in a statement that the government of Ghana had targeted five million trees as part of the project.

“They and a host of other distinguished figures will be called upon to support the project with their prestige, by publicly planting trees on this day,” Jinapor said in the statement to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Forests. which fell on March 21, 2021.

Mr. Jinapor underlined: “This project will see the planting of five million commercial trees and others, in the sixteen (16) Regions.

“In one day we will all plant a tree to green Ghana.”

The minister said that the success of the project will significantly increase the forest cover of the country.

“In the medium and long term, we intend to accelerate this campaign to result in the planting of one hundred million (100,000,000) trees. This initiative is aligned with Ghana’s Forest Plantation Strategy (2016-2040) and our commitments to various international agreements, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Landscape Restoration Initiative (AF100) and the Challenge from Bonn, he added.

According to the minister, the government plans to “mobilize the mass of our population to plant trees, feed them to maturity and contribute to the preservation of our environment”.

Parliament, political leaders, traditional rulers, Ghanaian businesses, green world activists, local government leaders, teachers, nurses, informal sector workers and ordinary Ghanaians will be galvanized to contribute their resources, their energies and their support to make Ghana green ”

In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 21 of each year to be the International Day of Forests.

This day is dedicated to making the world aware of the importance of all types of forests and trees outside forest enclaves. This decision was taken in response to national and international concerns about the high rate of deforestation and forest degradation recorded across the world.

In addition, the adverse consequences of climate change on the livelihoods and economic development of many countries, especially developing countries, have contributed significantly to this global awareness of the need to protect the global ecosystem.

On each International Day of Forests, countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving tree planting campaigns.

The global theme of the celebration is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”.

However, Ghana has slightly modified this overarching theme to meet its national forestry policy as, “Restoring Forest Landscapes: Planting Five Million Trees in One Day”.

— RNG