President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources’ target of planting 20 million trees is attainable if every Ghanaian contributes to the effort.
During the ceremony marking the 2022 edition of Green Ghana Day at the Efua Sutherland Park in Accra, President Akufo-Addo noted that despite the importance of the forest to human existence, 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 the forest, more than 10% of the current total forest area,” he said.
“More troubling is the current date that shows 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,” he added.
To address this difficult situation, President Akufo-Addo stated that his administration has “launched an aggressive afforestation and reforestation program aimed at restoring our lost forest cover and halting the current rate of deforestation.”
The President implored state officials, civil servants, as well as members of the general public to successfully execute the 20 million tree initiative.
“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,” he said.
In his remarks, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor stated that the 2022 nationwide tree planting exercise will see 10 million of the 20 million trees planted in forest reserves across the country.
“The remaining 10 million will be planted in non-forest reserves such as water sheds, boundaries, office compounds, parks, roadsides, homes, Churches, Mosques, schools, and other significant areas,” he added.
According to statistics, the country has lost 100,000 arches of natural forest in the last decade alone. The goal of Green Ghana Day 2022 is to plant at least 20 million trees on the day, which is scheduled for today, Friday, June 10, 2022.
