MESTI to plant 30 million trees annually - Dr Tia

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), is embarking on a sustainable planting and nurturing of 30 million trees annually, Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, a Deputy Minister of MESTI has announced.

He said the programme which is known "Green Ghana Programme", would be executed through coordination of its agencies, government departments and other stakeholders.

Dr Tia who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, in Accra on Thursday, on the wanton destruction of trees in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions and illegal mining in the southern sector.

He said his outfit had launched the programme to check uncontrolled logging and surface mining, which had further deteriorated the environment and needed to be reclaimed for posterity.

He programme involves; Environment Protection Agency, Forest Research Institute of Ghana, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Crop Research Institute, Crop Services Department and Department of Parks and Gardens.

The rest are; The Forestry Commission, Ghana National Fire Service, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Information and civil society organisations in the Environment and Forestry sector.

He said the stakeholders are currently identifying seed source and nurseries as well as raising of seedlings, plantation models, woodlot establishment and planting of fruit trees.

He said they are also considering the rehabilitation of mangrove forests, urban forestry, high fire management and nationwide awareness creation and sensitisation on environmental laws as part of the reclamation programme.

Dr Tia said the programme was necessitated by the serious threats that are created by over-exploitation, wild fires, slash and burn agriculture, mining and quarrying among other practices.

He said: "If our neighbour Burkina Faso is drier than us and therefore can reclaim the lost forest in the country, then why can't we also do same to make our country comfortable to live in and create more jobs in the country.

The Deputy Minister who blamed the land degradation and forest depletion to population growth, poor and outmoded agricultural practices and high demand for wood for charcoal and wood fuel, said his outfit would put in place legal measures that would restrain people from illegal felling of trees.

"It is becoming clear that some of our Northern neighbouring countries, who are nearer the Sahara are being made greener through conscious efforts and we need to take note of this and work together to make Ghana a Greener country."