Source: newsthemegh.com
The 2023 Green Ghana Day was officially launched in Kumasi by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who also called on all Ghanaians and residents to participate in the nationwide tree-planting initiative. The 2023 Green Ghana Day is scheduled for June 9, 2023.
He claimed that the Green Ghana Day offers a chance to display patriotism, showcase our dedication to safeguarding our forest resources, and show our determination to leave a richer and greener Ghana for our offspring.
For starting the Green Ghana Project, the Asantehene praised the government. He emphasized the value of trees in preserving the ecosystem, reducing climate change, and ensuring the future of the earth. In order to safeguard Lake Bosomtwe in the Ashanti Region, he promised to plant some 2.5 million trees, citing these advantages.
In an intensive campaign to reforest the nation’s lost forest cover, the government first established the Green Ghana Day in 2021 under the direction of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
Five million trees were to be planted in the first edition, but more than seven million trees were actually planted. In contrast to the goal of twenty million (20,000,000), more than twenty-six million (26,000,000) trees were planted last year.
The Asantehene lamented the willful devastation of forests brought on by illegal logging and mining. He claimed that the local chief and community people could not pretend to be unaware of those responsible for the destruction.
He pledged to tour the Ashanti Region in his car and summon all the chiefs whose lands had been degraded to appear and respond. “Government can’t handle it by itself. We all need to be involved and help the government resolve these issues, according to Otumfuo.
Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, claimed that over the years, no organized effort has been made to replace our lost forest cover.
He said that the nation lost 160,210 hectares (160,210 ha) of forest in just the period between 2010 and 2015. However, only 157,300 hectares (157,300 ha) of forest were cultivated between 1963 and 2016.
The Green Ghana Project, according to the minister, was necessary to raise national awareness of the need for collective action toward the restoration of the country’s degraded landscapes, instill the values of planting and caring for trees in our citizens, particularly among the younger generation, mitigate climate change, and enhance communities and the environment.
The government has been taking several measures since 2017 to restore our lost forest cover, the minister said. He expressed his gratitude to everyone who has supported the Program over the previous two years and renewed his request for all citizens of the nation to participate in the tree-planting ceremony on June 9, 2023, in large numbers.
The Ashanti Region has been planting the most trees on Green Ghana Days for the past two years, according to Mr. John Allotey, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, who was speaking at the opening of the third iteration of the event.
He said that more than 81% of the trees planted in 2021 had survived, but only 72% of the trees planted in 2018 have.
The Vice Chancellor of the University as well as the Chairman of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Council both attended the occasion.