Accra, June 10, GNA- Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Friday, cautioned the public against indiscriminate cutting of trees.
She said such actions retarded the collective action towards the restoration of degraded lands across the country.
To that end, Ms Ayorkor Botchway called for the inculcation of the value of planting and nurturing of trees in the youth.
“Planting trees will capture carbon dioxide to reduce the temperature increases, fertilize degraded lands and recharge groundwater tables,” she said at a ceremony where she planted a cocoa seedling in commemoration of the Green Ghana day.
The event took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where directors and staff of the Ministry converged to mark the occasion.
The Green Ghana initiative was launched last year and aimed at planting over five million trees to preserve and protect the country’s forest cover and the environment at large.
The annual event has “Mobilising for a Greener Future” as this year’s theme.
The 2022 edition of Green Ghana Day, was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Accra International Conference Centre.
It is expected to see the planting of 20 million trees of different species across the country.
During today’s tree planting event, Ms Ayorkor Botchway stressed the need to restore the country’s lost forest cover.
“There is an urgent need to reverse the trend and restore our forest resources as much as possible back to their original state. We do not have tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to do this. We have to act now,” she said.
The Minister said to show the Ministry’s commitment to the national initiative, it was planting trees at the headquarters and in its affiliated institutes such as the Foreign Service Institute, Adu Lodge and all Passport Application Centres.
“The Ministry will adopt an area designated by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to plant trees on an annual basis.
“Officers in the Ministry will be provided with tree seedlings to plant in their homes, farms and neighbourhood,” she said.
Ms Ayorkor Botchway said the Government was determined to ensure the survival of the 20 million trees planted.
She, therefore, appealed to the citizenry to take part in the event because it required the efforts of everyone to make it a success.
Mr Ramses Cleland, Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, said the annual exercise intended to enhance ongoing afforestation programmes and see to the sustainable exploitation of forest resources.
“Indeed, we are doing so through several policy interventions. The attempt to regulate and sanitise the public and forest industry is one such to help keep our forest cover and reserves intact, ” he said.
Meanwhile, Parliament suspended sitting today to enable the Speaker and parliamentarians to partake in the exercise both in Accra and their respective constituencies.
GNA