Government launches 'One-Student, One-Tree' campaign

As part of government's efforts to whip up national consciousness towards planting trees, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor Friday launched 'One-Student,One-Tree' initiative in Accra.

The initiative is intended to encourage students to plant trees and nurture it to grow before graduating from the school.

It is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The event also formed part of measures to encourage every citizen to participate in the upcoming 'Green Ghana Project', which is slated for June 11, 2021, to plant five million trees across the country.

Mr Jinapor, who launched the 'One-Student, One-Tree' initiative at the Accra High School, said it was intended to recover the depleted forest cover, ravaged by the activities of illegal small-scale mining.

The Minister said in view of the massive degradation of the country's forests, it required a dramatic and aggressive tree planting intervention to salvage the situation.

Therefore, government had adopted two-pronged approach to recover the depleted forest cover namely, eradicating the illegal small-scale mining menace and embarking on aggressive afforestation strategy to green the environment.

Mr Jinapor mentioned some high profile personalities who would plant trees on the Green Ghana Day including; President Akufo-Addo, Vice President Bawumia, Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Bagbin and Chief Justice Kwasi Anim Yeboah.

He noted that in other jurisdictions, a student was required to plant a tree and nurture it to maturity before graduating from the school, and suggested that it would serve the nation well should that policy be introduced into the country's education system.

The Minister said the Ministry would make seedlings available at designated centres and district offices of the Forestry Commission for planting and encouraged religious leaders, traditional leaders and civil society organizations to support the initiative through funding and logistics.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Education Minister, in an address, said the campaign would help save Ghana and the world from the negative effects of climate change.

He said the future belonged to the youth and, therefore, it was imperative for the young ones to take the tree planting campaign seriously and participate.

"I pledged my support for the environmental rehabilitation project and urged every well-meaning Ghanaian to join the campaign," he added.

Reverend Mrs Lydia Anim-Nketsia, the Headmistress of the School, recounted the benefits of having trees on school campus such as prevention of erosion, serving as windbreaks and shade and pledged the School's full support for the tree planting campaign.

—GNA