Government allocates Ghc9.6 million to Green Ghana Project

Government has budgeted GHc9.6 million for the Green Ghana Project next year to plant 20 million trees nationwide.

The Green Ghana initiative, which officially commenced on Friday, June 11, 2021, saw Ghanaians planting over seven million tree seedlings.

Mr Benito Owusu-Bio, a Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Forestry, told the media in Accra on Thursday that an evaluation and monitoring the National Intelligence Bureau conducted between September and November showed 85 per cent survival rate of the seedlings planted on the Green Ghana Day.

The Ministry observed that the 15 per cent non-surviving seedlings could be attributed to planting on rocky patches while stray animals also destroyed the unprotected ones.

Mr Owusu-Bio said no budget was allocated for the 2021 Green Ghana Project but received about two million cedis as support from donors and agencies under the Lands Ministry.

The Deputy Minister said it would erect cages around seedlings that would be planted next year, especially in urban areas, and make sure the seedlings were planted on appropriate locations.

That, he said, would require the Ministry embarked on education campaign to sensitise the public on the correct locations to plant specific types of tree species.

Mr Owusu-Bio, on behalf of the Government, expressed profound gratitude to all well-meaning Ghanaians who supported the project with cash and seedlings to make the exercise a success.

He asked for more support from companies, public and private sector institutions and individuals in the coming years to achieve government's goal of restoring the degraded forest cover.

Mr John Allotey, the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, updating the media on the Commission's programmes and activities, announced that Cabinet had approved the Wildlife Resources Management Bill for consideration by Parliament and when approved, would help manage the ecotourism parks and sites.

Ghana had exported 220,000 metric tonnes of timber products, amounting to 108 million euros as at the end of September this year, he said.

On the wildlife sector, Mr Allotey said the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission had exported 105,125 live animals including pythons, zebras and cobs that were bred in the country at the end of September this year.

On Ghana's current forest cover, he said the country had 6.57 million hectares of forest comprising 5.3 million hectares open forest and 1.2 million closed forest.

GNA