The people of Yonso, a town in the Mampong Metropolitan area in the Ashanti Region, have planted over one thousand trees at Yonso to observe the National Tree-Planting Day dubbed: ‘the Green Ghana Day’ as part of government’s initiative to plant 20 million trees.
The tree-planting exercise was done in collaboration with Mampong Metropolitan Assembly and supported and sponsored by RADEBS Enterprise Limited – a wood processing company based in Kumasi. In all, the community was given two thousand seedlings, but the people were able to plant about one thousand out of the number supplied.
Major stakeholders in the entire exercise were the Chief of Yonso, Baffour Oduro Boahen II; Ntiamoah Boateng Said, Coordinator and the Presiding Member of Mampomg Metropolitan Assembly; Reynolds Debrah, CEO of RADEBS Enterprise Limited; and Seth Owusu Abrokwa, the District Manager of the Forestry Division of Forestry Commission.
The Metropolitan Assembly engaged about four hundred pupils drawn from the Islamic Basic School and Junior High School, comprising MA 1 and 2. The tree-planting exercise was done mainly in the Yonso township and along the newly constructed Yonso – Asamang new road, and some other areas in the Yonso Community.
The Chief of Yonso, Baffour Oduro Boahen II, who spoke to Business & Financial Times in an exclusive interview, applauded the initiative by the President. He told the people of Yonso to take the tree-planting exercise seriously because it comes with a lot of environmental benefits, and the people must uphold it.
He mentioned some of the benefits of the exercise which included, prevention of strong wings, for fresh wind, for wood and shade, for prevention of erosion, for medicinal purposes and ultimately, to bring back the greenery nature of the environment.
Launched late last year under the auspices of the Ministry of Land, Water, and Natural Resources, the Green Ghana Initiative seeks to mobilise Ghanaians and other stakeholders in a bid to preserve the environment and depleted forest reserves. The goal, this year, was to plant 20 million trees nationwide which was exceeded.
The project aims to create greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in the in the country.
