Bolgatanga, June 13, GNA – The Bolgatanga Girls Senior High School (BOGISS) has transplanted 100 Cassia siamea tree seedlings as part of the Green Ghana project.
The trees when successfully nurtured would provide a conducive environment for the students to relax during leisure hours and serve as a venue to receive visitors.
The Green Ghana project initiative dubbed “Green Ghana: Let’s Go Planting Five Million Trees in One Day.” is intended to increase the forest cover, and address the challenges of climate change.
Alhaji Mahamadu Assibi Azonko, the Chief Director at the Regional Coordinating Council planted the first tree in the school, on behalf of Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, followed by Mr Emmanuel Yeboah, the Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission (FC).
Madam Patricia Agotiba Anaba, the Headmistress of the school, planted a tree while stakeholders and students of the school took part in the planting exercise after the Regional Launch of the Green Ghana project on the school’s campus.
In a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the project in Bolgatanga, on the theme: “Forest landscape restoration of planting five million trees in a day,” the Minister encouraged all stakeholders to support the project to succeed.
“For this programme to succeed, efforts should be made to involve all local stakeholders such as educational institutions, traditional authorities, security agencies, religious bodies and Heads of Departments,” he said.
Mr Yakubu recalled that earlier initiatives concerning tree planting and other programmes intended to green Ghana and curb desertification were done in the past but much efforts were not put to ensure the sustainability of the programmes.
He said, “It is one thing planting a tree, and another thing taking good care of it to grow. It is my hope and expectation that if this programme will succeed, it behoves everyone gathered here to make sure that we take ownership of the trees.”
On his part, the FC Manager said a total of 170,000 tree seedlings out of the National total target of five million trees would be planted across the Region.
Mr Yeboah said the FC had enough various tree seedlings to exceed the 170,000 target for the Region and encouraged members of the public to register for the tree seedlings at offices of the FC in the Region to continue with the nationwide exercise.
Madam Anaba gave the assurance that the school authority would ensure that the tree seedlings planted in the school would be properly protected and nurtured to serve their intended purpose.
As part of activities to mark the Green Ghana project, officials of the FC, stakeholders, students and some members of the public, embarked on a procession through some major streets of the Bolgatanga Municipality with messages and pictures of the project to remind the public of the importance of tree planting.
GNA