A GNA Feature by Patrick Cofie
Accra, April 29, GNA- When was the last time you visited Madina and its surrounding areas? Did you notice the budding trees planted by the main streets or within designated lanes around PRESEC-Legon- Trinity College to UPSA, Madina Zongo- Libya Quarters areas?
They were planted by the youth of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA-youth) with support from” We-Care” a Non-Governmental Organization based in North Legon.
Rhetorical questions
Please bear with me as a couple of questions will come your way the first being: is it true that the Mahogany species of Khaya Anthotheca is the national tree of Ghana and this was stated officially in 1959?
Is it also true that the oldest tree in Ghana is the 300-year-old Mpeni Kofi tree located at Akropong? And finally is it true that the biggest tree found in Ghana is the Tieghemella Heckelii tree found near Akim Oda with a diameter of 396 cm (13ft) and a height of 66.5m (218 ft)?
Then it is possible that of the 150,000 trees planted by the OLA-youth and “We-Care”, some may grow to challenge the existing records in years or even centuries to come.
Madam Adwoa Broni as she was going around inspecting some trees around the Major Mahama Roundabout at East Airport said her organization saw trees as important as they did not only purify the air and combat climate change or floods but also cool our streets and cities and help ease the mind during stressful times.
She said the value of trees in the country could not be overstated that was why President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo went around planting trees not only on the Green Ghana Day but on other sod-cutting occasions.
SIGNIFICANCE
Trees are vital for our health and total well-being which is why the government has instituted the tree-planting- Green Ghana initiative in 2021- and we do know that in the first year of the implementation of the Green Ghana Day, over 7 million tree seedlings were planted, Madam Broni said, adding that the 2023 edition of Green Ghana Day was held on the theme: Our forests, our health”.
As to what message do you have to encourage others to take up the habit of tree planting, Madam Broni said “I have a dream and the dream is simple. And it is that every household in the city and vacant lot should be populated with at least some Pawpaw trees. This amazing plant is filled with Vitamin D and its numerous health benefits include the fact that the seeds can be used for intestinal worm treatment”.
More so, she added, ‘we need to strengthen our housing laws and ensure that every house has at least a tree beside the pawpaw to provide shade for the household. This is just like it is done in Burkina Faso where their housing law stipulates that three trees ought to be planted in each house and a mango tree should be part of that three.
Madam Broni explained that we saw the need to plant all the trees one sees by the street side from Madina to Legon, Madina to Pantang and other areas in different cities. Because, the value of trees in society is endless as they provide shade and oxygen, serve as windbreaks, help to protect the soil and ensure flood control.
To achieve success in our effort, she said, ‘all our activities are interspersed with praying and singing environmental related songs and we not only visit churches, mosques and other social institutions, but we also offer them free seedlings for planting’.
And out of this Christian environmental interaction, Madam Broni said, ‘We saw a need to institute the Non-Governmental Organisation called “We-Care” and it came out of the efforts of the youth of OLA.
Today, she said, ‘our simple effort now has branches not only in Tamale, Kumasi and Sunyani but even in Benin and Philippines as the effort keeps growing and all we do is to plant trees in schools, public places, alongside streets etc
Purpose of We-Care
The focus of ‘We-Care’ is to ensure a cleaner environment and create awareness of the value of trees in society, more so, we do hold workshops in schools, churches, mosques and even participate in flower shows etc. This is done to encourage the youth to participate in all environmental and sanitation initiatives.
“Our main tree nursery is located at North Legon, but we have other nurseries in Sunyani, Kumasi, Volta and Central regions and all in all we have planted over 150, 000 trees and still counting
Challenges
So you did all this without encountering challenges, I enquired.
“Initially we encountered challenges mainly from some institutions, who were sometimes unwilling to provide the necessary permit for us to plant trees. And this was the situation till the president introduced the tree-planting initiative in 2021.
“Quite importantly, the basic challenge remains the watering of the seedling trees and stray animals eating the young trees”.
The adoption of the concept of green in many societies all over the world is vital as it means the rejuvenation of resources in the environment such that the needs of future generations are not adversely impacted.
And in all the green development discussions the highlighted components include; resource-saving and management, environmental protection, water conservation and natural disaster prevention, and climate change.
Mr Kofi Taabazuing, an Executive of the OLA-Youth, who was together with Madam Broni at the Major Mahama Roundabout at East Airport, said every church has a goal but we in OLA, our effort is to plant trees in every city and the entire country.
“We do now have a brass band and this is what we intend to use to help create more awareness in our tree planting efforts.
“Much as we helped spread the message on the availability of trees to neighbouring households, we also helped to ensure that the trees are watered and protected, Mr Taabazuing added.
Society of African Missions
“Knowing the entire tree planting initiative was a collaborative effort by the youth of OLA, I had to also contact the chaplain in charge of OLA- Reverend Father Jerome Kofi Aduzoka, Society of African Missions (SMA).
“We all need to join in the effort to go green. We all need to join the effort to plant trees in our environment because there is a Greek proverb states that: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in, ” he said.
Going green helps the environment by reducing the amount of pollution that enters the soil, water and air. More importantly, it is serving as a communal interaction uniting various religious entities in the Madina-Zongo-North Legon area, for a common society goal, he said.
Fr Jerome said various priests from the SMA including Fr Wilmar, Fr Charles, and currently Fr Anthony Didongo, the parish priest of Madina, have all played significant roles in helping ensure the success of the effort.
He said that there were various communities like Haatso, Agbogba, and North Legon around the Legon Botanical Garden, and it was surprising that the tree population outside the gardens were few and in that regard more was expected not only from the youth but from all to help change the situation
And as someone once said, ‘the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now and don’t hesitate to join the effort’, Fr Jerome said.
GNA