Ecofrontiers International, an environmental-based non-governmental organisation, says in 1900, Ghana’s forest cover stood at 8.2 million hectares but human activities such as farming and extraction of natural resources from the environment without deliberate plans of afforestation and action have led to the depletion of the country’s forest cover.
As part of efforts in supporting the government’s agenda of planting 20 million trees across the country, the organisation in partnership with Prudential Life Insurance and the Assemblies of God Church, Kasoa has embarked on a tree planting exercise aimed at restoring the natural environment.
Maukeni Ribeiro, Head of Marketing and Communication of Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, a leading life insurance company in Ghana, said the commitment of the company to helping Ghanaians get the most out of life is demonstrated through its support for projects geared towards environmental protection because they believe that the future depends on the choices we make today.
Speaking to Citi News after planting some trees as part of the Green Ghana project under the theme mobilising for a greener tomorrow, a representative from Ecofrontiers International, Boatemaa Ansah indicated that basic schools were engaged in this year’s exercise to give the younger generation an understanding of how important trees are to mankind and why it is important to plant one.
“We have chosen to work with school children, and our reason is that planting trees with children offers a unique chance to teach them about the importance of trees to human life and the environment. It is obvious that the increasing pollution cannot be stopped entirely but the effects of increasing pollution on the environment can be mitigated by planting more trees and by getting more people to be stewards of the environment,” the representative of Ecofrontiers International Boatemaa Ansah told Citi News.
The two organisations together with the participating schools, planted over 5,000 trees of various species with support from the Forestry Commission.
“The Forestry Commission supplied us with over five thousand seedlings for the project, and we did our best mobilizing some private schools in Kasoa to be part of the exercise, Boatemaa Ansah said.
Head Pastor of the Assemblies of God Church Reverend Boakye – Ansah Mensah, who was at the event to support, called on all to be good Ambassador of Christ on earth by protecting the natural environment quoting from the scripture which makes man the steward of the environment; hence the need to protect it.
“God said in his holy book that man is the steward of the environment and as such must protect it,” Reverend Boakye – Ansah Mensah said.
Member of Parliament for Gomoa East, Mr. Desmond Degraft Paitoo who was there to grace the occasion urged the school children to take the exercise seriously and make it a point to protect a tree.