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As part of the Green Ghana initiative, the government hopes to plant at least 10 million trees this year, according to Samuel Abu Jinapor, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
In 2022, more than 22,671,696 trees were planted in Ghana’s 16 regions, exceeding the government’s 20 million tree planting goal.
The minister said the target was reviewed downwards this year because the government wants to devote more attention to nurturing the over 30 million trees already planted in the past two years, to ensure that all these trees reach maturity.
Addressing the media on developments in the sector on Tuesday (28 February), Jinapor called on Ghanaians to take ownership of the initiative.
“This year the President of the Republic has decided that we lower the target to ten million trees,” the minister said said. “This is to enable us to devote much attention to nurturing over 30 million trees already planted, [and] to ensure that all of them reach maturity.”
Besides the Green Ghana project, the Lands Minister said his ministry is partnering the Department of Parks and Gardens and the Department of Urban Roads to implement a Green Street Project.
Under this plan, trees are being planted in the medians of streets, avenues and major roads in cities across the country, to beautify the urban space at the same time as contributing to the fight against climate change.
In his televised 2021 State of the Nation message, President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo announced the Green Ghana initiative to mobilise citizens for an aggressive nationwide tree-planting exercise.
Jinapor then launched the maiden greening project on 23 March 2021 under activities to mark the International Day of Forests, which fell on 21 March.
A 60-member Green Ghana project planning committee was constituted. Benito Owusu-Bio is its chair.
