1.8 million seedlings set to be planted across Savannah Region on Green Ghana Day - Minister

The Savannah Regional minister Saeed Jibril Muhazu has disclosed that over 1.8 million seedlings are set to be planted across the Savannah Region.

In an interview with Bole-based Nkilgi FM, he said the Green Ghana initiative is something the Savannah Region is embracing with all seriousness since the initiative stands to benefit the region to replace the lost vegetation in the areas of commercial charcoal burning and illegal logging.

He said the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources hails from the Savannah Region and must be supported to succeed by making the region take the lead in more tree planting.

Mr Saeed Muhazu Jibril disclosed that he has directed the various Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Savannah Region to make sure all the 1.8 million seedlings given to the region are planted with every student in the various schools planting a tree and taking care of it in his or her stay in the school.

He said logging is still banned in the Savannah Region and used the opportunity to appeal to the people of the Savannah region to come out in their numbers to help plant trees.

The Savannah Regional minister also thanked the President of Ghana Nana Akufo-Addo and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the initiative since that will help restore what has been lost in the area of deforestation

Meanwhile, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the West Gonja Mr Karim Musah Kusbari has disclosed that the municipality is targeting to plant 120,000 seedlings in commemorating the day.

The Acting Savannah Regional Manager of the Forestry Commission Mr Isaac Sintim said so far so good and that their department was given a target of 1 million seedlings out of 20 million trees.

He said about 800 seedlings are at the various collection points and they are ready to plant the trees.

The Green Ghana initiative according to the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor seeks to plant some twenty (20) million trees across the country to restore the lost vegetation cover which over the years been depleted by unfriendly environmental activities such as illegal mining, Rosewood logging and a host of others.

The initiative started in 2021 with over 5 million trees planted in Ghana which according to the Lands and Natural Resources ministry recording a survival rate of the trees planted in 2021, 80% doing very well with the the second edition of the Green Ghana Day scheduled to take place on the 10 June with a target of 20 million seedlings to be planted across the country.