AfriKids Ghana leads schools to plant 5,000 trees in Upper East, North East regions
AfriKids Ghana, a child rights organisation, has taken the lead in promoting climate action in northern Ghana, as schools under its Children Against Climate Change (CACC) programme successfully planted and nurtured 5,000 trees across four districts in the Upper East and North East regions.
The achievement, realised over a three-year period, was celebrated at a Tree Festival held in Fumbisi in the Builsa South District, drawing pupils, teachers, traditional authorities, officials of the Forestry Commission, the Ghana Education Service (GES), development partners and community members.
Climate intervention
Speaking on behalf of the Country Director of AfriKids Ghana, the Communication and Advocacy Manager, Raymond Akolbire Ayinne, said the trees were planted in the Binduri, Talensi and Builsa South districts in the Upper East Region, as well as the Mamprugu-Moagduri District in the North East Region.
He explained that the programme, with funding support from Gower Street, technical support from the Organisation for Indigenous Initiatives and Sustainability, Ghana (ORGIIS Ghana) and guidance and resources from the Forestry Commission, aimed not only at restoring degraded environments but also at raising a new generation of environmentally responsible children.
Align
The Bolgatanga Municipal Manager of the Forestry Commission, Felix Amoah, commended AfriKids Ghana and the participating schools for aligning with the government’s Tree for Life initiative, which encourages every citizen, particularly pupils, to plant and nurture trees.
“When the last tree dies, the last man also dies,” he warned, expressing concern about bush burning and indiscriminate destruction of forests.
Turning point
A representative of the Builsa South District Director of Education, Mr Atuburoa Moses Asiawe, described the AfriKids intervention as a turning point for schools in the district, where access to seedlings had previously been a major challenge.
“In the past, we planted trees and they died. This time, most of the trees planted are growing well because of the education and guidance given to both teachers and pupils,” he said.
Delivering a keynote address, the Executive Director of ORGIIS Ghana, Julius Awaregya, cautioned that human activities such as indiscriminate tree felling, charcoal production, bush burning and chemical misuse were major contributors to climate change in northern Ghana.
He urged communities to protect existing trees while planting new ones and encouraged schools to continuously pass on tree-planting knowledge to new batches of pupils to ensure sustainability.
Awards
As part of the festival, awards including watering cans, wheelbarrows and pickaxes, were presented to schools that emerged as Highest Achievers in tree planting and maintenance over the period.
