The Chief of Jachie in the Bosomtwe District of Ashanti, Baffour Kwaku Amoateng IV, led some residents of the town to plant 5000 tree seedlings in the community on Friday.
The tree planting exercise was part of the “Green Ghana Project,” in which the government was making an effort to plant 20 million trees across the country. Some of the tree species planted were Militia, and Royal Palm Acacia.
At a brief ceremony before the exercise at Jachie, Baffour Amoateng commended the government for initiating the tree planting exercise to help restore the degraded farmlands and other vegetative cover which had been destroyed through various human activities in the country.
The Jachiehene pledged to ensure that all the trees planted were protected so they grow to help safeguard the environment for both present and future generations.
He underscored the need for all well-meaning Ghanaians to embrace the Project and own it in order to sustain it.
The Customer Service officer at the Bekwai office of the Forestry Commission, Kusi Appiah, said the District had targeted planting 450,000 trees this year.
He stated that his outfit would ensure effective coordination and monitoring of institutions and persons who participated in the exercise to ensure that the trees flourished.
“Trees are significant to the survival of human beings. You have heard that when the last tree dies, the last man also dies, but you have not taken time to interrogate this statement,” he said.
“We are going to commence 450,000 tree planting in Bekwai District (which is commencing today), but if we plant one million and illegal miners destroy 10 million, what have we gained?” In essence, all hands must be on deck to fight this canker, “Mr. Kusi said.