We go green - Massive participation marks tree planting 

Across the length and breadth of the country yesterday, individuals and organisations turned up in their numbers to green Ghana.

The national exercise, with an initial target to plant five million trees, now aims at 10 million because of the massive support and enthusiasm so far shown.

Perhaps, it is one single event that does not have any political undertones, as the high and low in society — the Executive, Judiciary, Legislature, traditional and religious leaders, members of the Diplomatic Corps, as well as organised groups and also leaders from local communities - all came together to respond to the national call to green Ghana.

President leads

Leading the nation in the exercise was President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who planted a commemorative tree at the Jubilee House.

Other high-profile personalities who took part in the exercise were the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II; the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin; Ya Na Abukari II; the Speaker of Parliament, Mr A.S.K Bagbin; the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr James Oppong-Boanuh; Supreme Court Justices, Ministers of State and members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Protecting environment

Initiated by the Forestry Commission (FC) and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the exercise is rallying Ghanaians to plant more trees to preserve and protect the country’s forest cover and the environment.

Initially announced as an audacious plan to get Ghanaians to plant five million seedlings in a single day, the huge response led officials to revise the figure to 10 million.

Though it was not simultaneously done, the exercise began as early as 6:30a.m. as the various personalities involved took delivery of their seedlings.

To ensure that the seedlings are nurtured to serve the purpose, the Forestry Commission has committed to setting up a dedicated desk to provide advice and technical support to persons who collect and plant seedlings.

According to the commission, a dedicated telephone line would be announced to ensure that the investment made in acquiring the over seven million seedlings for the project did not go waste.

President plants

Donald Ato Dapatem writes from the Jubilee House that President Akufo-Addo, supported by the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, planted a tree called Tree of Life (Lignum Vitae), with Guaiacum Officinale as its botanical name.

It is called Tree of Life because of its historical medicinal use as a remedy for conditions ranging from arthritis to cough and syphilis.

Devastation

Just before planting his tree at the forecourt of the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo said the devastating rate of depletion of the country’s forest cover, and its attendant consequences on human life and environment were dire.

He added that there was, therefore “an urgent need to reverse the trend and restore our forest resources as much as possible back to their original state.”

We do not have tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to do this, we have to act now,” he added.

Sustenance

President Akufo-Addo explained that the continuous existence of the forest created jobs and incomes for local communities and foreign exchange earnings through the export of timber products, and offered environmental protection.

However, the exploitation of forest sources for national development, the President said, had never been sustainable over the years, leading to deforestation and forest degradation which were the greatest challenges to sustainable forest management in the country today.

President Akufo-Addo, who is also the Co-Chair of the Eminent Group of Advocates of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals, said: “I am leading the nation today, Green Ghana Day, to plant at least five million trees across the country as part of the master plan of Green Ghana agenda”.

He gave the assurance that the government was determined to restore the lost forest cover through a number of policy interventions including the regulation and sanitisation of the small-scale mining industry.

The President said the planting exercise would be sustained.

“Together we must and will protect our environment and ecosystem and we must contribute to the world’s agenda at combating global warming,” he stated.

Reversing trend

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, noted that Ghana’s forest cover, which was over eight million hectares some 100 years ago, had depleted by 80 per cent to 1.6 million hectares as a result of degradation, deforestation and the lack of effective afforestation, a development he said called for sustained action to reverse the trend.

He added that the exercise would be a yearly one with the number of trees increasing annually, while at the same time ensuring the formation of Green Ghana Clubs in schools.

He said the economic and fruit trees that were being planted would serve as forest cover and investment and that the government would ensure that the seedlings were nurtured and monitored.

Speaker hails policy

The Speaker of Parliament planted two trees at the precincts of Parliament House, reports Emmanuel Bruce.

“By this policy initiative, we will be making investment for our future. In committing to this exercise, we are not just going to plant the trees and walk away. Indeed, we are encouraged to nurse, nurture and monitor them in a manner to ensure the progress of these trees,” he said.

Mr Bagbin encouraged Ghanaians to participate in the exercise.

Otumfuo plants Mahogany

From Kumasi, Daniel Kenu and Emmanuel Baah report that Otumfuo Osei Tutu, accompanied by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, and the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, planted a Mahogany seedling at the Royal Golf Club at Nhyiaeso.

Also present were the Deputy Minister designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Benito Owusu Bio, and the Resident Engineer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Nana Poku Agyeman.

In a brief remark, the Regional Minister emphasised that tree planting was very significant in the survival of humans.

He commended the Asantehene for his numerous 'life-saving' interventions such as the lake Bosomtwe Landscape Restoration Project that saw the planting of over 100,000 trees along the lake enclave, all in his bid to help redeem the devastating nature of the lake.

" What Otumfuo dreamt years back has now been realised by all", he added, and called on the citizenry to support the Green Ghana Project.

Okyenman plants 1,500 trees

From Koforidua, Nana Konadu Agyeman reports that the Okyenhene led the chiefs and people of Okyeman to plant 1,500 tree species at Asikam near Kyebi to support the Green Ghana project.

Osagyefuo Ofori Panin expressed the conviction that planting and nurturing more trees in the area and other parts of Okyeman would help leave a healthy green environment for the present and future generations.

He was also happy that the tree planting initiative would help reclaim degraded land in Okyeman due to the activities of the illegal mining.

Yendi at standstill

Mohammed Fugu writes from Yendi that commercial and social activities came to a temporary halt at Yendi, the traditional seat of Dagbon in the Northern Region in the early hours, as hundreds of residents joined the Overlord to undertake the tree planting exercise.

There was rush for seedlings as residents picked the seedlings to plant at their backyards and farms.

Ya-Na Abukari was joined by a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources designate, Mr George Mireku Duker, and the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu.

Addressing the gathering after the exercise, the Ya-Na admonished the chiefs of Dagbon to strictly monitor the trees planted in their respective areas to ensure the success of the Green Ghana project.

25 for Judiciary

The Judiciary planted 25 trees at the headquarters of the Judicial Service located at the Supreme Court complex , Accra, reports Emmanuel Ebo Hawkson.

Led by Justice Jones Dotse, who represented the Chief Justice, judges of the Supreme Court took of their cassocks and wigs and stepped onto the fields around the Supreme Court complex to plant the trees.

The Supreme Court judges who took part in the exercise were Justices Yaw Appau, Samuel K Marful-Sau, Mariama Owusu, Gertrude Torkornoo, Avril Lovelace Johnson, Nene Amegatcher and Emmanuel Yonny Kulendi.

Justice Dotse described the Green Ghana project as a good initiative that had the potential to protect the environment.

Police involvement

The IGP, Mr Oppong-Boanuh, led the police management board and the directors of the national police headquarters to plant 50 trees at the National Police Training School in Accra, out of the 5,000 trees the service intends to plant.

“Our officers commanding all the six training schools will equally plant 50 seedlings each today,” he said.

Church of Pentecost rallies members

The General Secretary of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Konadu, says the church at the beginning of the year planned to plant a million trees across the country.

“We have a membership of about three million and we have encouraged our members to plant the trees. We have partnered Chiefs at Mantse Agbona and now we are partnering the Ghana Police Service and we are supporting them with about 300 seedlings from the Forestry Commission,” he said.

Diplomatic Corps

From the National Seismological Observatory at Achimota in Accra, Kweku Zurek reports that members of the diplomatic corps planted different species of trees.

In an address, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ms Claudia Turbay Quintero, commended President Akufo-Addo for championing the Greening Ghana Project to safeguard Ghana's environment for many years to come.

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