The savannah regional Minister, Mr. Saeed Muhazu Jibril has employed residents of the Savannah Region not to only use the Green Ghana day to do planting but to also make it a habit of planting trees in the region.
He made the call at the ceremonial planting of this year’s Green Ghana Day seedlings at Damongo in the savannah regional capital on Friday, 9th June, 2023.
This year’s Green Ghana Day marked under the theme: ” Our forest, Our health”.
In a key note address, Mr. Saeed Muhazu Jibril noted that this year’s event marks the third of it’s kind in the region and said, they are poised to make sure they green the center and the hearts of Ghana especially in the Savannah Ecological Zone with the planting of trees.
He indicated that the Green Ghana day program which is an initiative of the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources is a very important program and one of the biggest and loudest programmes implemented by the government apart from the planting for foods and jobs and the free SHS programmes.
He used the opportunity of the event to urge all in the region to resolve not using the only Green Ghana day to do planting but make it a habit of planting trees in the region at all times.
He stated that, the Savannah Region hosts the largest park in the whole of the West African Sub- Region and therefore has to be guided with some amount of jealousy so that at the end of the day they are able to sustain what they already have.
Talking about Green Ghana Day, the Hon. Regional Minister also commended the Regional Forestry Department for their good works towards the sustainability of the programme in the region and urged that, they continue to make sure they are able to at least sustain the seedlings of plants that they have planted for the past two years.
He also stated that the Green Ghana day programme in the region began with 250000 seedlings and shot up to 1 million last year but witnessed a decline to 700000 this year because of the nature of the seedlings, i.e both trees and fruits seedlings.
He further disclosed that the survival rate of the trees planted over the years has been so good for the Savannah Region, adding that, out of the 1 million trees planted last year, they have between 700000 to 800000 of them surviving and therefore applauded the regional and district forestry departments across the region for their good works and also thanked the people of the Savannah Region particularly the Yagbonwura for embracing such an important programme of the Government.
He assured the ministry of their 100% support to the programme both traditionally and administratively .
On behalf of the chief executive officer of the Forestry Commission, the savannah regional Director of the forestry Commission, Madam Lucy Amor Ntim in a welcome address explained that the Green Ghana day initiated by the President of Ghana is intended to commemorate the international day of forest by rallying people from all walks of Ghana to engage in tree planting activities to support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goal 15 and other global commitments relating to the restoration of degraded landscapes.
She said 700000 multipurpose seeds and fruits seedlings out of 10 million are the planted quota allocated to the Savannah Region and to be planted by the various stakeholders, individuals as well as within the forest reserves.
She indicated that the Savannah Ecological Zone needs to take tree planting exercise seriously so as to be able to restore the lost forest cover as well as the biodiversity to restrain the desert and it’s associated difficult environmental conditions from drifting southwards.
She also added that, it is expected that they nurture the trees planted for them to grow to maturity so that they can collectively mitigate the effects of climate change which they are experiencing in recent times.
Also in a key note address, the Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale ( I ) through Sumpiniwura Seidu Asumah stated that the Green Ghana day project has been a worldwide project and has caught the attention of all regions in Ghana year by year which Savannah is not an exception.
He said the purpose of the Green Ghana initiative is to improve upon the deplicating climate they have in the 21st century across the Sub – Sahara Africa and in the world.
The Gonja King noted that, between 2015 and 2020, the UN’s annual rate of deforestation was established at 10 million hectares as compared to 12 million during 2010 and 2015 at a maximum fall of 2000 hectares of the deforestation of the planet earth.
He added that, between 1990 and 2015, the world lost 129 million hectares of forest, an area about the size of South Africa based on which the senior forest officer Anase warned that global target related to sustainable forest management are at risk and Ghana is not an exception.
He explained that the green Ghana day programme is a great initiative to rebuild in the lost forest caused as a result of human activities and therefore cautioned everyone to remember that when the last three dies, the last man dies on earth .
He recommended the people of the Savannah Region to see the Green Ghana project to be above all project because the life of man depend on trees and pleading on all to stop cutting down economic trees, i.e shea nuts and dawadawa trees.
On behalf of the CEO of the forestry Commission, Mr. Bernard Asamoah Boateng remarked that, the turnout for this year’s Green Ghana Day in the Savannah Region is impressive and that he is confident residents of the region has gladly embraced the President’s clarion call to make Ghana “Green” and are actively planting trees all over the region.
He noted that the country’s forest cover as at the 1900’s stood at some 8.2 million hectares which has over the years depilated by an astonishing 80% to the current state of 1.6 million hectares.
He added that, the call for more trees to be planted is laudable, timely and forward looking as it will help ameliorate the rapid lost and mitigate against climate change which is impacting on the lives of many.
Mr. Bernard Asamoah Boateng also cautioned that, the survival of the seedlings planted is much more important than the planting and therefore urged they put in every effort possible to ensure they achieve an impressive and high rate of survival and growths of the seedlings.
Source: Padfm.com.gh
