Volta youth embrace tree-planting project

…as work starts in 16 out of 18 districts
By: Samuel Agbewode
The government's tree-planting project has been embraced by thousands of the youth in the Volta Region, as youth in the region have started planting trees in 16 out of the 18 districts, which experts in the Forestry Commission have described as very positive, while efforts are being made to start the project in the remaining districts of the region.

The Volta Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission, Mr. Winfred Bimah, who was speaking to the media at Tanyigbe-Etoe in the Ho Municipality during a working visit to one of the project sites, said the enthusiasm with which the youth had started the work, showed the importance they attached to it, and said the commitment demonstrated so far by the youth, needed to be sustained, in order to ensure success.

He explained that the project, which would help create jobs for the teaming unemployed youth in the region, required that all the District and Municipal Assemblies make available 300 hectares of land, as a requirement for the implementation of the project in each of the districts.

Mr. Bimah disclosed that already, 58 youth had been fully engaged in the tree-planting project at Tanyigbe-Etoe, which should be regarded as a full-time job, noting that with the availability of the required number of hectares of land, 300 youth would be employed under the project in each of the 18 districts in the region.

He stressed that the tree plantations, which would be cultivated in forest and non-forest reserves, was also aimed at reducing rural poverty , increase food security, and ensure sufficient industrial timber for the country in future, as well as help in mitigating the effects of climate change.

Mr. Bimah, who explained the technicalities involved in the project, said it would allow the youth to cultivate the same land being used for the tree plantations for various kinds of food crops for a period of four years, when the trees would grow up to an appreciable level, adding that institutions under the project include the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Forestry Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Fire Service, District and Municipal Assemblies, and non-governmental organisations.

He said private sector involvement in the project would allow institutions in the sector to take up contracts to implement the project, while the Forestry Commission and other governmental institutions would monitor and provide technical advice to ensure the successful implementation of the project, and announced that in the Volta Region, Zoomlion Ghana Limited was the private company executing the tree-planting project.

Mr. Bimah pointed out that the project was designed in such a way that when the trees mature and are harvested, the proceeds would be divided into three parts, among the land owners, government and the investors, while the employees would continue to enjoy regular pay as the project continued to gain grounds.

The Volta Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission therefore appealed to traditional leaders and land owners to make land available to the Assemblies for the project, in order to make it a success, adding that the youth ought to take the project more seriously, to create wealth for themselves, and reduce unemployment in the region.

The Volta Regional Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr. Anthony Adzomani, said as contractors of the tree-planting project, which is a national programme, his outfit had already started the implementation of the project, noting that the necessary working equipment had been provided, and work started in all the districts, except Keta and Kpando.

Mr. Adzomani continued that Zoomlion had to employ the needed human resources for the effective implementation of the tree planting project, which he said, had lived up to expectation, saying the unemployed youth in the region, mainly formed the workforce under the project, and that uniforms were provided to protect them, and stressed that pegging had started at Tanyigbe-Etoe, which would be followed by planting.

The Zoomlion Manager said his outfit did not only specialise in waste management, as it was popularly known for, but also dealt with other environmental protection issues like tree-planting and assured the people in the region that the best would be seen in the tree plantations project, which would be appreciated by all.

Mr. Adzomani also urged parents to encourage the youth to get involved in the project, which he stressed, was vital in providing them with jobs, noting that the project should be seen as addressing their needs, since they would be able to generate income from the land in their localities without difficulty.