Bono East Regional Minister renews call for collective action against bushfires

The Bono East Regional Minister, Hon. Francis Owusu Antwi, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to environmental sustainability and climate resilience through various reforestation and environmental protection initiatives.

He made the statement when he delivered a keynote address on behalf of the Minister for the Interior at the launch of this year’s National Anti-Bushfire Campaign in Atebubu.

The campaign was held on the theme, “Bushfire prevention: A collective action for sustainable environmental development and a greener Ghana.”

Hon. Owusu Antwi said the theme was a reminder that protecting the environment could not be left to the government or any single institution, but required the active participation of all Ghanaians.

He warned that bushfires continued to pose a major threat to the country’s socio-economic development, destroying farmlands, crops, forest reserves, plantations, grazing areas and wildlife habitats each year.

“Bushfires continue to pose serious threat to Ghana’s socio-economic development. Every year uncontrolled bushfires continue to destroy thousands of hectares of farmlands, crops, forest reserves, plantations, grazing land and wildlife habitat,” he said.

According to the Minister, the resulting economic losses were estimated at between 2 and 3 percent of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually.

He noted that forests and natural vegetation remained among the country’s most valuable assets, as they served as carbon sinks, regulated rainfall patterns, protected water bodies, conserved biodiversity and supported the livelihoods of millions of people.

The Chief Fire Officer, Daniella Mawusi Ntow-Sapong, disclosed that the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) recorded 235 bushfire incidents between January and August this year, compared with 631 cases during the same period last year.

She attributed the 62.8 percent reduction to strong leadership, intensified public education, stakeholder engagement, community sensitisation, support from traditional authorities and the commitment of personnel and fire volunteers.

Ms Ntow-Sapong said the GNFS had trained 1,167 fire volunteers across the country between January last year and August this year.

She appealed to development partners, corporate organisations and individuals to support the volunteers with the necessary equipment to enable them to effectively carry out their responsibilities.

As part of the programme, farmer groups from Atebubu staged a role play highlighting some of the challenges confronting agriculture in the municipality.

Awards were also presented to individuals and institutions in recognition of their contributions towards reducing bushfire incidents.

The event was attended by senior officials from the GNFS headquarters, the Bono East and Ashanti Regional Fire Commands, as well as traditional leaders, including the Omanhene of the Atebubu Traditional Area, Ohenpong Dr Yeboah Asimah.

The President of the Bono East Regional House of Chiefs, Nana Owusu Sakyi III, chaired the ceremony.