Accra, Ghana//-Ghana’s National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu has called on Ghanaians, particularly the Muslim community in the country to come out in their numbers to participate in the tree planting exercise scheduled for Friday, June 9, 2023.
The Chief Imam made the call on Wednesday, June 6, 2023, when a delegation led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey called on him to formally inform him about the upcoming exercise and to solicit his support.
Speaking through his spokesperson, the Chief Imam assured the delegation of his continued support for the annual tree planting exercise.
He is of the view that since the impact of the environment has no religious colour, it is important for every Ghanaian to come out to plant the trees in order to restore and conserve our environment.
The Chief Imam added: “We will continue to pray and support you. The environment is not a duty for one person.
Our aim is to plant to protect our environment. Anyone who is a Ghanaian must get involved. We believe Allah will favour us. This Tree planting is a duty on each one of us”.
The Green Ghana Day Project was launched in 2021, as part of government’s aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme to restore the nations degraded landscapes.
A Field Assessment Report on the progress of seedlings planted over the years shows that, a 72% survival rate was recorded last year as compared to 81% in 2021.
Though adequate measures were put in place to ensure the survival of all seedlings planted, a number of external factors account for the survival rate, including rainfall patterns, wildfires and soil fertility.
The chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey thanked the National Chief Imam for his continued support for national development programme.
In an interview with the media Mr Allotey indicated that the target for this year has been revised downwards to 10,000,000 seedlings.
The downward revision, he explained would give the commission some space to devote some resources and attention to the seedlings planted previously.
Mr Allotey said the commission would make the seedlings to be planted available to all Ghanaians at its regional and district offices located across the 16 regions of the country.
The 2023 edition of the Green Ghana Day will be held on Friday, June 9 2023, under the theme, “Our Forests, Our Health”.
