President Akufo-Addo has described the depleting rate of the country's forest as alarming despite its importance to human existence.
The President made these known the 2022 Green Ghana Day celebration which which was held at the Efua Sutherland Children's Park in Accra.
President Akufo-Addo said "Despite the importance of the forest to human existence, our forests are depleting at an alarming rate”
“Some 18 years ago, half of the earth’s surface was covered by forest. Today, with an estimated forest area of four billion hectares, forest cover less than 30% of the world’s surface”
“In the last three decades alone, the world has lost one billion and 37 million, 846 thousand, 602 arches of forest, more than 10% of the current total forest area,”
“More troubling is the current date that show that globally, we are losing 150 arches of rain forest every single minute, 200,000 acres a day and 79 million a year and this is just rain forest,”
Speaking under the theme; “Mobilising for a Greener Future”, President Akufo-Addo, said “The target of planting 20 million trees set by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, is attainable if every person living in Ghana joins in the effort to achieve it"
He also added that some 1.6 billion people depend on forest for their livelihoods and in Ghana, some 85% of the population rely on forest resources for subsistence to satisfy their socio-cultural needs.
To deal with this challenging situation, President Akufo-Addo noted that his administration has “embarked on an aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme aimed at restoring our lost forest cover and halting the current rate of deforestation”.
“It is in this spirit that I call on each and every one of you, whether you are a Ghanaian or not, in so far as you are in Ghana, to join us today (10 June) to plant at least, 20 million trees,” Akufo-Addo said.
“I call on Members of Parliament, members of Corporate Ghana, traditional leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, nurses, doctors, lawyers, judges, workers, farmers, bankers, students, religious leaders, traders, civil servants, public servants, members of the diplomatic corps and indeed, every person living in Ghana as well as those visiting Ghana on Green Ghana Day, to help us plant these trees,”
“Together, let us build a greener future, for current and future generations of Ghanaians and mankind,” Akufo-Addo further stated.
On his part, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, hinted that the 2022 nationwide tree planting exercise will see 10 million of the 20 million trees being planted in forest reserves across the country.
"The remaining 10 million will be planted in unforest reserves including water sheds, boundaries, office compounds, sites within communities such as parks, roadsides, homes, Churches, Mosques, schools and other significant areas"
“Given the very ambitious nature of our target, we have had to mobilize 20 million seedlings, distribute them, get them planted and develop a framework to nurture them to maturity”
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Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith
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