Accra, June 11, GNA – Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health, on Friday, planted a mango tree at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, to mark the Green Ghana Day introduced by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
He was supported by Dr Emmanuel Serofenyo, the Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital who also planted an orange tree, with other management members including Dr Ralph Armah, the Head of Clinical Services and Ms Rebecca Agyare Asante, Head of Nursing and Midwifery Services taking their turns with coconut seedlings.
Mr Agyeman-Manu said the Green Ghana project, which was in accordance with the vision of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, aimed at planting five million trees in a single day across the country, through a massive stakeholder involvement in a national tree planting exercise slated for Friday, June 11, 2021.
“This is part of a master plan for a Green Ghana Project, which seeks to restore the forest cover of Ghana,” he said.
The Health Minister said the importance of trees cannot be underrated saying, forests played critical roles in maintaining the climate, freshwater systems and soils, as well as biodiversity, all of which were critical for food security and other key aspects of human well-being.
They were also crucial for watersheds, carbon management and clean air and the conservation of key species and ecosystems, he said.
“What we have come to learn and appreciate is that, forests and forest management are not just about timber. Forests play a critical role in sustainable development, from combating soil erosion in agricultural fields to mitigating the effects of climate change and to the total wellbeing of the human race,” he added.
Mr Agyeman-Manu stated trees were also very important in the practice of medicine, and in Ghana the critical role it played in traditional medicine.
However, statistics show that Ghana’s forest cover as at 1900, stood at 8.2 million hectares, but had depleted over the years by an astonishing 80 per cent, and said the project was expected to contribute significantly to the realisation of the President’s vision to build a healthy, sustainable and environmentally sound and Green Ghana.
Dr Srofenyo commended the President and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the laudable initiative, and said five trees were being planted at the facility, with the commitment and assurance that management will protect and nurture them into maturity.
GNA