Minister to update Ghanaians on 2021 Green Ghana Project by December
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, Friday announced that the National Planning Committee of the Green Ghana Project will review the nationwide tree planting exercise held on Friday, June 11, 2021 and update Ghanaians on the outcome by December.
He said it was imperative that the Committee took stock of the tree planting exercise and informed Ghanaians about the successes and challenges it encountered in order to improve upon it next year.
The Ministry said more than seven million trees were planted, thus exceeding the initial five million target.
The Green Ghana initiative is intended to restore the degraded forest cover caused by the activities of illegal miners.
At the inauguration of the 2022 National Planning Committee of the Green Ghana Project in Accra, Mr Jinapor said it was important to start the preparatory works early for next year’s exercise to identify potential challenges and rectify them.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to launch the 2022 Green Ghana Day in January next year.
Mr Jinapor said the Project should be broad-based involving many stakeholders such as technical experts, Parks and Gardens Department, civil society organisations, faith-based groups, and the media and owned by the citizens.
Mr Jinapor stated that the exercise should be decentralised and ensure that trees were planted in hamlets, cottages and villages, saying; “It’s not only about tree planting but we want to inculcate the culture of tree planting and environmental conservation in every Ghanaian”.
Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, the Chairman of the Green Ghana Project and Deputy Minister of Lands in charge of Forestry, gave the assurance that the Committee would work harder to ensure the success of the programme.
He said the Forestry Commission had started making cage boxes to protect the trees for stray animals not to destroy them.
Some of the members of the Committee include; Ehunabobrim Nana Prah Agyenseim VI, Paramount Chief of Assin Owirenkyi Traditional Area, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, Founder of Salt and Light Ministries, Kwaku Sekyi Addo, a veteran broadcast journalist, Mr Lord Commey, Office of the President and Mr Ernest Boateng, a member.
Some institutions with representation on the Committee included; the ministries of Local Government and Rural Development, Education, Defence, Forestry Commission and Forestry Plantations Development Fund, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Chamber of Mines and Association of Ghana Industries.
Source: GNA