One Child One Tree Project Begins

…. Minister starts distribution

Climate change and Environmental degradation are threats to sustainable economic growth and are the major challenges governments across the globe are confronted with.

Ghana, like any other country is implementing programmes to help alleviate the devastating effects of environmental degradation and climate change on the economy, health, social cohesion, water bodies among others.

One such initiative is a public-private-partnership project, ‘One child one tree’ to inculcate the habit of protecting the environment through tree planting to restore and protect degraded lands and also generate income from the cash trees planted.

The project is aimed at young school children who would love to see the seedlings they nurture grow into huge trees in their neighbourhoods, which would not only provide shade but would also serve as wind breaks against strong rainstorms.

The Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Hon. Sherry Ayitey, yesterday presented mango seedlings targeted at seven million children who are expected, with the help of their schools, to plant the seedlings in their neighbourhoods.

The Minister urged the children to participate in the project with enthusiasm and nurture the seedlings well as part of their contribution to the fight against global warming and environmental degradation.

She averred that the Ministry will reward the schools that are able to maintain and nurture the seedlings to grow into trees. This, she said, would demonstrate that the school children are growing into responsible adults in whose arms the future of Ghana and that of the world would be safe.

According to her, one of the rationale behind the ‘One child one tree’ project is to encourage children to be responsible to the environment which eventually transform every aspect of their lives.

Hon. Sherry Ayitey revealed that the Ministry intends to bring companies and institutions on board the project in the next phase.

Wienco, a company based in Accra has donated 3,000 seedlings to be distributed to the children