Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Lands and Forestry, has revealed that the President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will launch the 2023 edition of the government’s aggressive afforestation/reforestation programme, Green Ghana Day, in the coming month to help restore the country’s degraded landscapes.
The Deputy Minister made this declaration when he made a statement on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, 21st March 2023, to mark the International Day of Forests 2023 on the theme; “Forests and Health”.
Hon. Benito stated that this year’s Green Ghana Day has been set for June 9, 2023, with a goal of planting 10 million seedlings across the country; 6 million on reserve and 4 million off reserve.
He thanked the Speaker of Parliament and the Parliamentarians for their active participation in the Green Ghana Day since its inception and congratulated them on nurturing all trees planted during the event and ensuring a 100% survival rate.
Hon. Benito took advantage of the opportunity to urge all Ghanaians and the international community to embrace and support the 2023 Edition with the same zeal that they have shown in previous years.
In his speech, the Deputy Minister mentioned several flagship interventions undertaken by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to address sector challenges, including the Green Ghana Day, the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP), the Landscape Restoration and Small Scale Mining Project, the Ghana Forest Investment Programme, the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Project, and the Shea Landscape Emission Reduction Programme.
He mentioned that the Forestry Commission had a week-long programme for school children to create awareness and active participation of children in the celebration of the International Day of Forests, while he called on all and sundry to support H.E the President of the Republic of Ghana’s vision to restore the country’s degraded landscapes for better nutrition, better environment, and better health for all.
He also stated that the measures implemented by the government through the Ministry are yielding some positive results. However, he added, “we still need to do a lot of work in this area as a collective responsibility from all of us to ensure that we leave our unborn children a better and richer forest estate than we inherited.”
On November 28, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 21st as the International Day of Forests, to be observed annually on March 21st. The goal of the International Day of Forests is to celebrate forests around the world while also raising awareness about the role that forests and trees play in our nation’s socioeconomic and environmental development.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
