The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has charged Ghanaians to consider the Green Ghana Project, slated for June 10, 2022 as a National agenda and not a partisan one.
He has accordingly applauded former President John Dramani Mahama for consenting to plant with government and the Ministry come Friday.
Mr. Jinapor appealed to Ghanaians to come out in their numbers and participate in the Green Ghana Day tree planting.
According to him, government has set out an ambitious target of planting 20 million seedlings, which will require at least 20 million Ghanaians to participate if every citizen is to plant one tree.
He disclosed that 10 million of the seedlings will be planted in reserved compartments while the remaining 10 million will be planted on school, church and mosque compounds, along streets, in homes and in public areas across the country.
“We are planting 10 million in forest reserves and planting 10 million across the country. We are calling on all Ghanaian and residents of Ghana and all persons that will be visiting Ghana to join forces with the government and join forces with the Ministry of lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission for us to be able to make this noble undertaking and this momentous undertaking a resounding victory and a resounding success,” he stated.
Speaking during an interview in Parliament yesterday Mr. Jinapor disclosed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will kick-start the nationwide tree planting exercise at the Efua Sutherland Park where he will plant the first tree.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, he said, will plant in Tamale; the Speaker of Parliament will do the planting in the precinct of Parliament while the Chief Justice will plant in the precinct of the Supreme Court.
“Former President J.A. Kufuor will plant in Gomoa Nsuem, former President John Mahama will be planting in Accra, His Majesty the Asantehene will plant in Kumasi, the Yaa Na in Yendi and indeed a host of prominent citizens including the Chief Imam will plant in Accra here”, he added.
More importantly, you the Ghanaian people will plant in your various communities to make our country greener,” he stated.
Forest cover lost
Mr. Jinapor disclosed that since 1900 Ghana has lost 80% of its forest cover, a crisis situation that demands immediate action.
Climate change, he said, is reaching a tipping point and Ghana as a respected member of the international community is contributing its quota to the global efforts at halting the phenomenon.
Earlier in a statement on Green Ghana Day to the House, the Lands Minister stated the rate of deforestation and forest degradation remains alarming, hence urgent and vigorous interventions are needed to reverse this trend of depletion.
He lamented that deforestation and forest degradation continue to be the greatest threat to sustainable natural resources management, and its dire consequences on lives and livelihoods
According to him, the forest sector offers fast, reliable and empirical evidence-based actions to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.
The world, he said, has no time and Ghana has no time in the concerted efforts being made to safeguard forests and the planet.
