As part of the maiden edition of the Green Ghana Day, an initiative of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to plant five million trees, the management of Takoradi Technical University also led a tree planting exercise around the university to inspire students to plant trees.
Members of TTU management who joined the Green Ghana Day tree planting exercise included the Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Victor Kweku Bondzie Micah, the Registrar, Dr. Moses Maclean Abnory, Director of Finance, Dr. Gabriel Sam Ahinful, Acting Librarian and Dean of Liberal Studies, Dr. Adwoa Kwegyirba, and Director of Internal Audit, Elizabeth Obeng.
The Registrar of TTU, Dr. Moses Maclean Abnory told Citi News said they joined the exercise in acknowledgement of the value for nature and the fact that nurturing one’s environment is a recipe for healthy and happy living.
He indicated that the university’s target is to plant trees around its three campuses in collaboration with the Western Regional Coordinating Council.
“Our target is to inspire the students to help plant 5,000 trees on the three campuses of the university, but we’ve already planted 450 at the main campus. We intend to collaborate with the Regional Minister”, he said.
The Western Region was given a target of 250,000 seedlings to be planted, while the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis was to plant 8,000 trees to mark the Green Ghana Day.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah and the Chief Executive Officer for Sekondi-Takoradi, Abdul Mumin Issah’s plan to start the planting by 8:30am was interrupted by heavy rains.
However, the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi with the help of available umbrellas defied the rains and commenced planting 8,000 seedlings in the metropolis with pupils of Old Hospital Basic School in Sekondi.
The Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah who was initially billed to start the tree planting at the Takoradi Beach Road was forced to plant at the Regional Coordinating Council.
The Minister told Citi News the region hopes to extend the tree planting to forest enclaves that have been lost to illegal mining.
“I believe that people will take advantage of this special day to plant trees. For us in the Western Region, our plan is to plant a million trees. So this is just the first one. Originally, our regional target was 250,000 trees, but at our last meeting we agreed to up it to 500,000 and in the next six months, we will do another 500,000.”
“However, what we have been able to plant should be protected to grow, which is the most important thing for the forest cover of the region. Secondly, on our forest zones where we’ve had illegal mining, very soon government will be bringing a programme to reclaim them, and we are going to plant them as well”, he said.
The Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketsia, who joined the Western Regional Minister to plant at the Coordinating Council, urged Ghanaians to use the Green Ghana Day to preserve the environment.