Volunteers to plant 10,000 trees in Northern Region

The Voluntary Workcamps Association of Ghana (VOLU) has initiated a process to green parts of the Northern region by planting some 10,000 trees along water sources.

Mr. Kizito Abagoami, VOLU team leader in the Northern Region announced this at Kasalgu, a suburb of Tamale, on Thursday at the launch of the International Workcamp aimed at helping to conserve water sources in the region.

Volunteers with Volu would also use the occasion to educate beneficiary community members on the need to preserve the environment and the benefits of maintaining their vegetation.

Mr. Bagoami said the initiative to plant trees in selected communities in Northern Region was aimed at helping to green Ghana to avert desertification and drought.

He said Northern Region was the nerve centre of the three Northern Regions in terms of economics and tourism, of which pragmatic steps are needed to preserve the region’s water reserves.

Mr. Moses Mabengbe, Northern Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf, advised VOLU to consider planting economic trees that would benefit community members so that they would not be cut down.

He explained that if economic trees are planted, it will help alleviate poverty and at the same time prevent flooding and drought, which had always bedeviled the region.

Naa Sando Ziblim, Chief of Kasalgu, commended VOLU for the initiative and gave the assurance that the Kasalgu Traditional Area would support the tree planting initiative to ensure that the water sources are preserved.

He said over dependence on the environment led to the destruction of the vegetative cover and that it was necessary for community members to take it upon themselves to plant trees to avert desertification.

Later, VOLU assisted by some community members, personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Forestry Commission and some opinion leaders, planted some trees around the Kasalgu dam.

Source: GNA