Public and private institutions gave a boost to government’s green Ghana project by participating in the nationwide tree planting exercise last Friday.
FROM TEMA, GODFRED BLAY GIBBAH REPORTS that the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in collaboration with Coastal Conservancy Organisation an NGO on Friday planted trees in the Tema port enclave as part of this year’s Green Ghana Day initiative.
Government seeks to plant 20 million trees this year through the initiative.
Speaking at the programme, the Deputy of Minister for Transport, Mr Frederick Obeng Adom, said an assessment showed that out of 7 million trees planted last year in the country through the programme 6.3 million have survived.
He said trees provided a lot of benefits such as providing oxygen, helping to regulate atmospheric temperature and serving as windbreak, he therefore urged the citizenry to cultivate the habit of planting trees.
The Director General of the GPHA, Mr Michael Luguje, on his part said the Green Ghana day coincided with the world environment day which was all geared towards promoting sustainable living.
He said as humans our lives are dependent on the environment so we have a responsibility to protect it.
Mr Luguje expressed concern about the manner in which some people pollute rivers, the land and air through activities like illegal mining and called for concerted effort to reverse the trend.
He said trees support life so there was the need to continue planting more to enhance our existence on the earth, adding that GPHA would continue to support initiatives to grow more trees around the country.
EMMANUEL ADU GYAMFI reports from Gaoso, the Ahafo regional capital that the assembly has planted a total of 1,300,000 trees under this year’s ’Green Ghana Day’ project against 1,200,000 target, exceeding the threshold by 100,000, the Regional Manager for Forest Services Division, Bennet Ntiamoah, has disclosed.
Mr Ntiamoah stated that the region also exceeded its target of 170,000 trees to 190,000 in last year with 20,000 additions saying that about 90 per cent withstood the unfavorable weather conditions, through proper care.
The Regional Manager who was speaking on Friday at Goaso after the tree planting exercise said shade trees, fruit trees, and timber trees were planted across the region, to recover the lost vegetation.
He indicated that the exercise was attended by the Omanhene of Goaso Traditional Council, Nana Kwasi Bosomprah, Heads of Departments and Agencies, students and teachers, Journalists, government officials, the clergy and the public.
Mr Ntiamoah added that the seedlings were planted at homes, offices, degraded forests reserves, schools, parks, roadsides, around farm boundaries, along water conservation bodies and road medians among other places.
“Leaving future generations and their communities with richer, more valuable forest and wildlife endowments than we inherited, is the vision of the Forestry Commission” the Regional Manager stressed.
The Ahafo Regional Minister, George Yaw Boakye, said deforestation has affected rainfall pattern in the area, thereby impacting on food production thus the need to plant more trees to restore the forest cover.
Mr Boakye noted that government rolled – out the ‘Green Ghana Day’ project to recover the lost vegetation, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which prevents global warming, improve good health and beautify the environment.
As part of measures of mobilising for a greener future in Ahafo Region, Mr Boakye presented books, pens and other educational materials to students of Ahafoman Senior High School (SHS) in Goaso.
SETH ADU-AGYEI reports that the General Secretary of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) International, Apostle Samuel Amponsah Frimpong has advocated for Ghanaians to accept the Green Ghana initiative to mitigate desertification effect on the country.
Desertification he said has become a challenge in the West African Sub-region and that, there was the need to confront it by planting trees which will bring shade and make Ghana beautiful.
Apostle Frimpong made the call at a tree planting exercise organised by the church to mark the second edition of the Green Ghana Day at the Anim Retreat Center (ARC), a 300-acre land acquired by the church at Ofarkor near Kasoa in the Central Region on Friday,
Apostle Frimpong in a remark indicated that God saw the significance of trees in the lives of mankind and so he himself planted the Garden of Eden and placed man in it for his comfort.
He expressed appreciation to President Nana Akufo-Addo for initiating this special programme and that, “as a church we believe that our collaboration with the government will always yield the positive result and at this particular instance, it is the best for the nation”.
Apostle Frimpong said the CACI has an obligation towards the government and the nation and for that reason will always collaborate with the government in power on her social initiatives that are beneficial to the nation.
He said the church was planting about 500,000 seedlings nationwide to complement government’s effort in greening Ghana to fight desertification and climate change.
“When this is done there would be food security in the nation as well as protecting the water bodies with a healthy environment thereby curbing epidemics,” he indicated.
Apostle Frimpong pointed out that, the Anim Retreat Center (ARC) which is being developed as the convention center of the church will include educational and health facilities and seminary for the various leaderships in the church.
Others are a prayer center, Campus for the Christ Apostolic University College and a 5000 capacity conference hall among others.
He admonished all and sundry that, the good future of Ghana that everybody is looking for can only be achieved when everybody puts his hands on deck and work together as one people and do the right thing.
The President, Nana Akufo-Addo lunched the second edition of the Green Ghana Day to plant 20 million trees on March 1, 2022 this year as the government’s aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme to mitigate deforestation and climate change effects on the Country.
Apostle Frimpong was accompanied by Apostle Benjamin Ahenful Accra West Territorial Apostle and some pastors and members of the church.
At the Ga Central Municipal Assembly, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ga Central Municipal Assembly, Mr Bashiru Mohammed has said that in line with the Green Ghana project, each household would be given a tree to plant.
He said strict monitoring mechanism would be put in place to ensure that there is full compliance to the exercise.
Speaking in an interview after the observation of Green Ghana Day during which trees were planted in the median of Anyaa- Pokuase road, he said humanity owes it a duty to ensure that policy measures and a call to action is put in place to stem the negative effects of climate change.
He called on all citizens to put their hands on deck to ensure that success was achieved adding that a greater effort would ensure greater dividends.
“We have to protect the environment and take conscious steps to reverse the adverse trend of the ozone layer which remains a threat to humanity due to the negative environmental practices.”
The Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom, Mr Dickson Adomaku Kissi urged all citizens to value the relationship between trees and human beings.
As humans, he said we need to always keep the world better than we came to meet it, adding that with that mindset the world would always be a better place.
From the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA) in Accra VICTOR A. BUXTON reports that the assembly was targeting 15,000 seedlings across the municipality as part of the activities.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of LaDMA, Solomon Kotey Nikoi, planted the first tree in the municipality, followed by the Coordinator Director, Daniel Nkrumah
Ms Emilia Monney, the Director of Agric, Madam Habiba Kotomah, Director of Education and other dignitaries within the municipality took turn to plant a tree each.
Mr Nikoi called on all stakeholders to actively participate in the exercise and fully take responsibility of the seedlings to be planted.
The Director said her outfit, National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and few relevant departments under the assembly are to assiduously monitor the progress of the seedlings and also offer any technical support to any member in the community to enable the trees to mature well.
She stressed that prior to the exercise, the assembly had embarked on an awareness creation to sensitise residents on the exercise and how to properly monitor and care for the trees.
Ms Kotomah promised her outfits support towards the exercise by ensuring each school plants trees in and around their schools.
BY TIMES REPORTERS
