Alexander Akwasi Acquah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Oda Constituency, has called on the people to help restore Oda’s environment to its former glory.
He said Akim Oda, a prevailing timber area, which served as a source of employment for the youth was now in a collapsed state due to the blatant refusal of people to plant trees after cutting them.
Mr Acquah said Ghanaians needed to demonstrate a serious commitment to the country’s ecological system for human beings and animals to live long.
He made the call during the commemoration of this year’s Green Ghana Day at Akim Oda on the theme: “Forest landscape restoration: Planting five million trees in a day.”
He entreated authorities of senior high schools in the constituency to reactivate tree clubs and get students involved to preserve the forest cover.
In 1990, Ghana used to have a forest cover of about 8.2 million hectares but that have been degraded and depleted to about 1.6 million hectares currently.
The Green Ghana Project spearheaded by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Forestry Commission is to encourage tree planting countrywide towards the preservation of the environment.
The project is a call to Ghanaians to plant trees in response to the climate crisis that threatens human existence and development.
Mr Ernest Adofo, Oda District Manager of Forestry Service Division of the Forestry Commission, said out of the five million trees to be planted, Oda District was entrusted with 100,000 seedlings of different species.
The Manager, speaking with the Ghana News Agency, expressed enthusiasm about the active and massive participation, among people in the district in the tree planting exercise, saying the 100,000 seedlings were about to finish.
The seedlings include coconut seedlings, teak, cassia, flamboyant, bauhinia, mahogany and Cedrela and were planted at the district offices, campuses, communities and towns.
Mr Adofo said officials of the Forestry Service Division would check on the seedlings collected by individuals, churches, hospitals and other organisations to ensure they were well nurtured.
He said contact details of beneficiaries were taken to enhance monitoring the planting of the seedlings.
The seven political districts were Birim Central Municipality, Asene Manso Akroso District, Akyemansa District, Birim South District,
Achiase District, Asante Akyem South District and Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District.
The commemoration brought together chiefs and elders of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Ms Victoria Adu the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive, Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency, Education Service, and students.