Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, and King Charles III have reached an agreement to carry out a project to restore Ghana's degraded lands and forest reserves.
Teams composed of experts in environmental issues from the UK and Ghana are scheduled to meet to discuss potential solutions for restoring land damaged by illicit mining operations.
The joint effort would see the formulation of policies on ways to reclaim the lands.
The Asantehene revealed that he had a private dialogue with King Charles III while the latter was being coronated in the United Kingdom, which ultimately led to the establishment of a joint effort to plant trees in order to reduce carbon emissions.
Otumfuo emphasized on the essentiality of conserving the country’s forest reserves and curbing land degradation.
He spoke at the launch of the Green Ghana Day held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
He emphasized that trees play a crucial role in safeguarding the planet and the well-being of its inhabitants, noting that they provide a range of benefits that help protect the environment, mitigate climate change and improve the quality of life for people on the margins. Additionally, he pointed out that millions of species of wildlife depend on trees for their existence, making them an important component in maintaining a healthy global ecosystem.
King Charles III is renowned for his commitment to protecting the environment and streamlining activities to mitigate climate change.
The Asantehene, the traditional ruler of the Ashanti Region of Ghana, has declared his intention to partake in the government's efforts to restore the endangered land and forest reserves in Ghana by planting trees within the region.
According to him, 2.5 million trees were planted on a 4,000 hectare land in 2019 towards the protection of the Lake Bosomtwe.
Reiterating his commitment to tree planting and knowing the importance of trees, the overlord of Asante kingdom indicated that he has a teak plantation of about 640 acres in Kumawu.
“I am collaborating with the Forestry Commission to plant more trees in various compartments I have in the region,” he said.
The Ashanti region, despite planting over 7 million trees – highest of all regions – since the inception of the Green Ghana Day – is heavily riddled with illegal small-scale mining.
The Nkawie Forestry district in the Ashanti region is reported to have planted the highest number of seedlings on the 2022 edition of Green Ghana Day.
Addressing the launch of the third edition of the Green Ghana Day, Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey indicated that 81% and 72% of trees planted in 2021 and 2022 respectively survived.
He says more local trees were planted during the last edition.
“One unique feature of the 2022 edition of Green Ghana was that 35% of the seedlings were planted in Ghana’s forest reserves. A deliberate effort was made to plant more indigenous species. This help increase the percentage of economic timber species planted over the two years to 75%,” he said.
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