Friday, June 7 is Green Ghana Day - Lands Minister declares ahead of planting 10 million tree seedlings

Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, has conducted a comprehensive review of the government’s flagship afforestation initiative, Green Ghana, disclosing 41 million trees planted since the program's inception in 2021, a remarkable 30million are thriving at different growth stages.

Addressing the press on June 4, 2024 ahead of the 2024 edition of the project which is slated for Friday, June 7, 2024, the Lands Minister provided a detailed breakdown of the success of the project, disclosing that the 2022 edition witnessed the highest number of planted trees -24 million.

He further added that of the 10.7 million trees planted during the 2023 edition, a staggering 81% are surviving, which is the highest survival rate among all the editions and assured that the Ministry and relevant agencies would continue to nurture the trees to ensure its full development.

"In the maiden edition, we targeted five million trees. With your support, over seven million trees were planted. In 2022, we raised our ambition to at least twenty million trees. Again, you supported us, and over twenty-four million trees were planted. Last year, you once more supported us to plant over ten million seven hundred thousand trees, bringing the total number of trees planted over the years to in excess of forty-one million.

“So far, the Field Assessment Report shows that, on average, we had a sixty-seven percent survival rate in 2021, seventy-two percent in 2022, and eighty-one percent in 2023. This means that we have some thirty million trees surviving to date, and our task continues to be to nurture them to full maturity," he stated.

For the 2024 edition, the Minister assured that all necessary measures for a successful observation of the day have been taken, with enough seedlings purchased to ensure that the over 10 million target is met.

He disclosed that over the years, the project has relied heavily on support from the private sector, with the government allocating GHC 1.5 million for this year's edition.

As has become customary, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will lead a commemorative tree planting exercise at the Nicholson stadium, Burma Camp in Accra.

He further announced that the *theme for the 2024 edition, "Growing for a Greener Tomorrow,"* is a call to Ghanaians to rise and contribute to global efforts towards tackling climate change. He appealed to the public to take an interest in the project, participate in the exercise, and make it their responsibility to ensure the growth of the trees they plant.

The Minister stated that the government will continue to ensure that the country’s timber resources are exploited in a sustainable and responsible manner with the Ministry ensuring through its agencies that every wood obtains the fledge license before being exported.

Further information by Hon. Jinapor on the 2024 Green Ghana Day indicates that of the ten million trees to be planted this year, six million seedlings will be planted in degraded Forest Reserves across the country, while four million will be planted within and around farms, along degraded watershed areas, and within communities, i.e., medians of roads, homes, schools, churches, offices, and recreational grounds/parks.

This will include selected timber trees, shade trees, ornamental trees, fruit trees, and multipurpose trees suitable for the climate conditions in the various regions. Examples of seedlings to be planted include Eucalyptus, Mahogany, Ofram, Ceiba, Emire, Wawa, Rosewood, Teak, Cedrela, Mansonia, Rain trees, Terminalia Mentalis, Royal Palm, Weeping Willow, Orchid Tree, Tree of Life, Mango, Coconut, Orange, Lemon, Indian Almond, Avocado, Cashew, Cassia, Acacia, Milletia, and Albizia.