SADA: Trees threatened by harmattan bushfires

Beneficiaries of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) tree planting project at Bole Bamboi in the Northern Region have raised concerns about an imminent destruction of the trees by bush fires if authorities do not act immediately to revamp the project.

With several of the trees being destroyed by bush fires during the harmattan season in previous years, some of the farmers are worried that without adequate fire belts the trees in the area will suffer a similar fate of being wiped out.

The SADA tree planting project was terminated in 2014 following reports that value for money was not being attained. But some beneficiaries in the Northern, Volta and Brong Ahafo regions continued to attend to the tree plantations without any assistance from government.

A beneficiary in Bole Bamboi, Ishaq Abubakar, told Class News if nothing was done to revamp the project, their toil over the years in planting and nurturing the trees would go to waste.

Mr Abubakar is also appealing to managers of the SADA project, Asongtagba Cottage Industry, who owe them months of allowance before the termination of the contracts, to settle the payments due them.

“Our allowances had not been paid [yet we attended to the trees]. Right now, bushfires are just at the corner. Instead of us to have cleared and made bushfires, we cannot do it… We did marvellous work and if fire consumes it means our work [has been fruitless],” he lamented.