Accra, June 11, GNA – Telecommunication giant, Vodafone Ghana, Friday planted 4,000 trees of various species across the country to help restore depleted vegetation and address issues of climate change.
The exercise, done in collaboration with the Forestry Commission and the Ghana International School, was in support of the government’s “Green Ghana Project.”
The Green Ghana Project was initiated by the Forestry Commission, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resource, to plant five million trees nationwide to restore depleted forest cover.
Speaking with the media after planting some of the trees at the Achimota Forest, Accra Zoo, Ms Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, Director of Human Resource, Vodafone Ghana, said forest played an important role in the economic advancement of every nation, as it could not be separated from food security, clean and abundant water resources, energy, climate change and biodiversity conservation.
Forest loss is one of the major causes of climate change.
Ms Akrong said reversing the country’s forest depletion, therefore, called for measures that were drastic and continual.
She said the Green Ghana initiative fitted into the company’s Planet Goal Project, which started three years ago, which seeks to deliver initiatives that protected the planet and ensured the success of businesses did not come at a cost to the environment.
She disclosed that more than 3,000 trees were planted by the company across the country since last year through a partnership with the Forestry Commission and Ghana International School.
“As a purpose-led organisation, we committed to helping ensure a sustainable future for all by embarking on a campaign that will save the country’s forest from depletion.
This is why we are supporting the President’s call to help regain the enormous forest cover that the nation had, by once again partnering the Forestry Commission and Ghana International School to plant over 1,500 seedlings across the country today,” she said.
She added that the company had outlined several initiatives throughout June, to contribute to the Green Ghana agenda, as well as inspire Ghanaians and other organisations to take steps to protect the planet.
Some species of trees planted included Mahogany, Acacia and Cedar.
Mr George Agbenowoshi, Deputy Regional Manager for Greater Accra, Forestry Commission, said the Green Ghana Day formed part of the Commission and Ministry’s activities to commemorate this year’s World Forestry Day, which was marked on March 21.
He said the Commission was planting 450 species of seedlings in Greater Accra, adding that several more had been planted across the country.
He said the Forestry Commission was collaborating with the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to ensure that trees that are planted were nurtured, protected and maintained.
“We have been assured by them that what we have planted will be maintained,” Mr Agbenowoshi said, adding that the Commission had carefully chosen the species of plants to ensure that they thrived, especially in the era of climate change.
He called on Ghanaians as well as corporate organisations to join the tree planting exercise to protect the environment and mitigate the effect of climate change.
GNA