Otumfuo joins Green Ghana Day in Kumasi
THE Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was joined by the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah, and the Special Advisor to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Benito Owusu- Bio, to plant tree seedlings at the Royal Gulf Club as part of the Green Ghana Day (GGD) in Kumasi yesterday.
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Other dignitaries present included the Chairman of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle Eric Nyamekye, the Paramount Chief of Akpini Traditional Area in Kpando, Togbuiga Dagadu IX, and the Director of the Forestry Commission Training Centre ( FCTC) atAkyawkrom , Dr Andy Okrah.
Since 2021 when the exercise started, the Asantehene has always planted a tree at the Royal Gulf Club.
Regional target
The Ashanti Region targets to plant 2.5 million seedlings out of the national target of 10 million.
Climate change
Addressing the media, Mr OwusuBio stressed the need for Ghanaians to protect the environment by planting more trees to serve as vegetation cover.
He said water was becoming scarce as a result of environmental degradation and climate change, and warned that if care was not taken, the country would soon be importing water for domestic consumption.
He, therefore, entreated everybody to make the care of the environment a number one priority.
He said since the inception of the Green Ghana Day three years ago, a total of 40 million trees had been planted.
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This year, he said the target was to plant at least 10 million trees, “and the reason is to give us the avenue to nurture and take care of the trees over the last three years.”
“As we plant the trees today, let usmake a conscious effort to continue nurturing these plants to ensure a higher survival rate,” he said.
For his part, Dr Okrah said over the years people’s enthusiasm about planting the trees had been phenomenal.
However, he said the same could not be said about the nurturing of the plants to grow.
“Now the essence is how to ensure the trees planted grow,” he said.
He entreated all to ensure that they nurtured the trees to grow to provide the cover needed.
He said since the inception of the project, the Ashanti Region had always led in the number of trees planted and attributed that to the leading role played by the Asantehene.
He said Otumfuo Osei Tutu II had always been involved in the exercise and also directed all his chiefs to be involved.
This, he said, had ensured that the exercise always received massive patronage from the people of the region.