The King and Overlord of Gonja Kingdom Yagbonwura Tutumba Bore Essa (I) has called on his subjects across the country to embrace the Green Ghana project initiative embarked upon by the Lands and Natural Resources ministry, led by Samuel Abu Jinapor, Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency to help save the country’s vegetative cover.
Speaking through his Chief Linguist Alhaji Afuli Losina, during the 2022 Green Ghana Day program on June 10, 2022, the King said the country’s vegetative cover has been destroyed overtime and the project has come at the right time to save the forest.
Yagbonwura Tutumba Bore Essa (I) added that Gonjalanders must be proud and happily embrace the Green Ghana project because it will help the area rediscover the lost forest that has been selfishly destroyed through illegal commercial charcoal and logging.
Yagbonwura Tutumba Bore Essa (I) further stated that women and farmers are currently picking shea fruits across the region and implored all sons and daughters of the region to help protect the economic trees and the forest for improved socio-economic living.
The Savannah Regional Minister Saeed Muhazu Jibreel said the Green Ghana program is very important to our lives and people of the area must accept it. The Savannah ecological zone has seen a lot of devastation to our vegetation cover and we must do everything possible to save the forest.
Saeed Muhazu Jibreel said the effects of illegal logging and charcoal is widely felt in the Savannah region. The rainfall pattern in Damongo has changed due to the destruction of our forest. Greenhouse gasses are produced with high temperature effects, farm produce are hugely affected due to deforestation.
He commended the sector minister for the initiative and called on all citizens to embrace the project because when the last tree dies, the last dies.
Saeed Muhazu also thanked the people of the area for massive turn out as compared to the 2021 Green Ghana program. He commended the land and natural ministry, the forestry commission, the chiefs and people of the area, heads of departments, security agencies students, forestry commission, women groups, for their effort at getting more trees planted.
Saeed Muhazu Jibreel disclosed that the forestry commission has been tasked to care for the plants to ensure massive survival rate. The commission will task Youth in Afforestation program staff to ensure continuous watering of the plants due to the unstable rainfall pattern in the area.
The various security agencies will also be part of the monitoring to ensure the plants do not die off.
Mr Benard Asamoah-Boateng, the CEO of Forestry Commission in his address at the Jakpa palace commended the people of Savannah region for the support to the Green Ghana project. He said the Savannah region has a target to plant at least one million (1,000,000) trees and the nation will plant some 20 million trees for the year to help augment our forest cover.
He explained that in 1900, Ghana’s forest cover stood at some 8,200,000 hectors but now it has however, been depleted over the years by estimated eighty percent (80%) to the current state of approximately 1,600, 000 hectors.
The call to plant more trees is timely as it will help arrest the depletion of our forest. We must do everything possible to make sure the survival growth is massive.
The theme for the June 2022 Green Ghana Day program is ‘mobilising for a greener future’. This is chosen to put us on the map to plant more trees and make sure they aren’t left to struggle for survival. Ghana must look green again.
The Hon West Gonja Municipal Chief Executive, Musah Kusubari Karim expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people of West Gonja municipal assembly for the support to the program and called on them to heavily partake in the project because planting more trees and caring for them is equal to caring for our own lives, preparing for more rains, more yield from farms and improvement in our well-being. We need to plant more trees to help save the vegetative cover.
The ecstatic MCE said the assembly will continue to support the project because it is a good initiative by the Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency who is also the Lands and Natural Resources minister.
A participant Mama Saratu Nuhu said she participated in the program because trees are more important to our lives. Trees help improve our health, serve as wind breaks, bring us more rains, among others.
The Yagbonwura’s chosen Damongowura did the royal planting at the Jakpa palace, whilst Savannah regional minister planted for and on behalf of government of Ghana. Other places the planting took place were town park, just in front of the VRA office, schools, departments, homes among others.
