Presbyterian Church to plant million trees this year
The Presbyterian Church of Ghana is to plant one million trees this year as part of efforts to support the government’s Green Ghana Programme.
The exercise will commence on June 11, 2021 across the country and it is expected that every Presbyterian — young and old, will plant at least three trees on that day.
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The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, who made this known at a thanksgiving service of the Central Presbytery Young Adults’ Fellowship (YAF) conference at Brakwa in the Central Region, said the exercise was also in line with the church’s environment and sanitation witness project, which was meant to augment efforts by the government to restore lost trees in the country.
Green Ghana Programme
In March, this year, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, launched the Green Ghana Programme as part of activities to mark this year’s International Day of the Forest.
Under the initiative which will take place on June 11, 2021, a total of five million trees are expected to be planted in a single day across the country.
The people are also encouraged to plant more trees to preserve and protect the nation's forest cover and the environment.
Ensuring successful exercise
The moderator urged all Presbytery chairpersons, district ministers and ministers in charge of various congregations to ensure that the exercise was successful.
He also urged them to ensure that seedlings planted were nurtured to maturity.
Rt Rev. Mante further said the country, like others in sub-Saharan Africa, was experiencing the effect of climate change as witnessed by irregular seasons and forest areas gradually turning into Savannah and desert grassland.
He said the situation had a huge impact on the variety and population of various species across a once thriving rainforest zone.
The moderator also paid a four-day pastoral visit to the Central Presbytery of the Church to acquaint himself with the life of the church in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He commended agents of the church for working tirelessly to keep the church united even in the face of the pandemic.
Rt Rev. Mante said the outbreak of COVID-19 had created lots of challenges for the church, as a result, some planned activities had to be delayed.
He donated four new motorbikes to the Presbytery for mission work.
The moderator was accompanied by the Presbytery Chairperson, Rev. Alex Owusu-Addo; the Lay Representative on the General Assembly Council of the Church, Ms Stella Amofa Dodoo, and the Public Relations Officer of the Church, Rev George Larbi.