Protect your future yourself - Okyenhene implores as he launches Lands Ministry’s 1 Student 1 Tree Initiative

The Paramount Chief of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has urged the younger generation, particularly students, to make protecting the country's forest cover a personal objective.

Speaking at the launch of the 2024 One Student One Tree initiative at Abuakwa State College on Monday, June 3, 2024, the Okyenhene emphasized that it is the responsibility of the younger generation to protect the future environment, as the previous generation has failed to do so.

The 2024 One Student One Tree initiative, under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, is a key component of the government's flagship afforestation program, the Green Ghana Project. The event also honored the Okyenhene's 25th Anniversary. In his speech, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin highlighted the importance of involving students in critical issues like environmental protection. He expressed pride in championing environmental protection efforts and gratitude for the honor of the event being marked in commemoration of his anniversary.

The Okyenhene noted that despite their level of education, their forefathers understood the importance of the environment in human survival and instituted a "rule of nature" to protect it. He cautioned the current generation against recklessly destroying the environment out of greed, emphasizing that it is terrible when nature fights back, as seen in global warming and natural disasters influenced by human activities. He implored students to take their future into their own hands by engaging in environmental protection activities like the One Student One Tree initiative.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, congratulated Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin on his 25th anniversary as Okyenhene and commended his remarkable contributions to environmental protection. He described the event as part of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's vision to grow Ghana's environmental cover, which has led to the Green Ghana Day initiative. This year's Green Ghana Day will be marked on Friday, June 7, 2024, at Burma Camp in Accra, with the president leading the event. School heads were urged to ensure full student participation, with each student receiving a tree to plant and care for under the One Student One Tree initiative.

The event concluded with a commemorative tree planting exercise conducted by the Okyenhene, the minister, and other dignitaries, including Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives within the Akyem Abuakwa area.