Day: June 7, 2024

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Friday urged Ghanaians to embrace the Green Ghana concept to build a resilient ecosystem for a greener future.

He emphasised the need for all well-meaning Ghanaians to join forces to combat the adverse effects of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, noting that protecting and preserving the forests were critical in that endeavour.

The President made the call during the Green Ghana Commemorative Tree Planting ceremony at the Nicholson Stadium, Burma Camp in Accra.

This year’s programme is on the theme: ‘Growing for a Greener Tomorrow’ with the ambition of planting 10 million seedlings across the country.

President Akufo-Addo highlighted the alarming impacts of climate change by referencing the dire situation in South Sudan and the Horn of Africa, where extreme heatwaves were threatening human habitation.

He noted that air pollution was responsible for approximately 6.7 million deaths worldwide, annually, while biodiversity loss continued to endanger e
cosystems.

‘The science tells us that forests play a crucial role in sustaining life on earth and tackling the triple planetary crises,’ the President stated.

He pointed out that agriculture, forest, and land-use activities contributed significantly to Ghana’s greenhouse gas emissions, and that maintaining the forests was essential for carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, and pollution control.

Since the inception of the Green Ghana Project in 2021, more than 42 million trees have been planted nationwide.

‘The 2024 goal is to add another 10 million, bringing the total to 52 million trees in just four years. This ambitious target aligns with Ghana’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 64 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2030,’ the President stated.

He entreated the citizenry to embrace the theme by participating in the nationwide tree planting exercise.

Planting and nurturing trees to maturity would enable the country to achieve a sustainable future, President Akufo-Addo sai
d, and thus appealed to the private sector to support this noble venture.

He commended the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, for his leadership in sustaining the Green Ghana Project and the One-Student, One-Tree initiative.

That, he said, would inculcate the values of tree planting in the youth and appreciate the importance of environmental stewardship.

He called for a collaborative effort by all Ghanaians to sustain the gains made over the past three years.

‘Let’s go out, not only to plant trees, but grow them for a ‘Green Tomorrow.’ This is a duty we owe not only to the current generation but to generations yet to come,’ the President said.

Mr Jinapor, on his part, lauded President Akufo-Addo’s unwavering support for the Green Ghana initiative to ensure environmental protection and forest restoration.

He expressed gratitude to the Ghana Armed Forces for their vital role in the programme’s organisational success, particularly in the logistics and distribution of seedlings.

The Ghana Armed Forces have declared plans to plant over 1000 seedlings this year in support of the Green Ghana Project.

The Minister outlined Ghana’s significant strides in global forest management and climate action, noting that at COP26 in Glasgow, Ghana played a pivotal role in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030.

‘This leadership has been recognised globally, leading to Ghana’s co-chairing of the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP) alongside the United States,’ he stated.

‘This partnership aims to balance forest protection with food production and advance nature-based climate solutions.’

Highlighting the impact of those initiatives, the Minister said Ghana was the second country in Africa and the third globally to receive results-based payments from the World Bank’s Carbon Fund for reducing emissions.

‘The Green Ghana Day has become a cornerstone of these efforts, with the survival rate of planted trees increasing significantly each year from 67% in 20
21, 72% in 2022, and 81% in 2023.’

This year’s theme: ‘Growing for a Greener Tomorrow,’ he said, reflected the commitment to not just planting trees but ensuring their growth and contribution to the fight against climate change,’ he added.

The Minister appealed to all Ghanaians to support the initiative, emphasising the availability of adequate seedlings in designated places, while measures were put in place to ensure high survival rates of the trees.

He echoed the President’s call for collective action to secure a greener and more sustainable future for the country and the planet.

With this rallying call, both the President and the Lands Minister reinforced Ghana’s commitment to creating a greener and more sustainable future, urging all citizens to join hands in the critical national endeavour.

Mr John Allotey, the Chief Executive Officer, Forestry Commission, commended the President for his immense support and guidance towards the Green Ghana Project.

He applauded the Lands and Natural Resources Minis
ter for his excellent leadership inuring to success of the project.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Container Owners Association of Nana Bosoma Market has initiated legal action at the Sunyani High Court against the Municipal Assembly for eviction over the rehabilitation works of the market.

The writ of summons, dated May 31, 2024, outlines the claims and reliefs sought by the plaintiffs (Nana Bosoma Container Owners Association) against the Defendant (Sunyani Municipal Assembly).

The plaintiff claimed they were served with eviction notice issued by the Assembly on January 18, 2024, to give way for the rehabilitation of the place and were, therefore, requesting a declaration that the eviction notice was unreasonable and unconscionable, rendering it null and void.

The plaintiffs were also seeking an order to prevent the defendant from taking any further actions to evict or obstruct the plaintiffs’ business until the final resolution of the case.

Additionally, the plaintiffs were requesting a perpetual injunction to prevent the defendant, her agents, assigns, privies, building contractors and laborer
s from interfering with the plaintiffs’ container shops.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Madam Benidita Sunoma, one of the plaintiffs and a leading member of the Association, confirmed the suit against the Assembly, saying the case would be called on Friday, June 21, 2024.

She said the traders had been conducting their respective activities at the Nana Bosoma Market for many years, utilising tabletops as their selling space.

However, in April 2021, the late Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri II, Omanhene of the Sunyani Traditional Area, through the Sunyani Traditional Council, offered to construct container shops for members of the Association to enhance their businesses.

Each member was required to pay GHS5,000.00 to the late Omanhene, Madam Sunoma said, and that he provided them with the container shops, in which they plied their trade.

She said they were seeking a declaration that the reconstruction of the Nana Bosoma Market lacked transparency and procedural integrity, particularly consideri
ng that no compensation had been offered to the plaintiffs.

The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the deadline is unjust, arbitrary, and unconstitutional, arguing that their properties have not been properly valued to receive a fair and timely compensation.

They are also seeking an order to compel the defendant to provide the contract documents related to the reconstruction of the Nana Bosoma Market.

The plaintiffs are additionally requesting the defendant to guarantee in writing that the current occupants of the container shops will be returned to their current locations upon completion of works.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have detained 12 United Nations employees in a crackdown in several areas of the war-wracked country, local sources close to the UN groups said on Friday.

The detentions were unleashed by the militia’s security and intelligence agencies on Thursday in the Houthi-controlled provinces of Sana’a, Hajah and Hodaidah, the sources added.

The male and female detainees include three employees of the UN High Commission, three from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and three working with other UN bodies, according to a statement attributed to local employees working with aid groups in the country.

In their statement, they called on the Houthis’ ruling self-styled Supreme Political Council to immediately release the detainees.

There has been no comment so far from the Houthis or the UN itself.

The Houthis have controlled parts of Yemen since 2014.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia launched a military coalition to support government forces when the Houthis ad
vanced towards the government’s temporary seat of Aden.

The UN considers Yemen’s conflict a humanitarian disaster.

Last year, Saudi Arabia and its regional rival Iran agreed in a China-brokered deal to restore ties after a rupture of seven years, a step that raised hopes for an end to the years of bloodshed in impoverished Yemen.

In recent months, the Houthis have been targeting ships bound for Israeli ports or those owned by Israeli companies in the Red and Arabian seas and the Indian Ocean, in what they say is retaliation for Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The militia also attacked US and British ships off Yemen after the two countries began launching strikes on areas under the group’s control

Source: Ghana News Agency

Ms Diana Asonaba Dappah, a Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, says it is a collective responsibility to ensure that the next generation of leaders are equipped with the valuable skills and confidence to make an impact.

She said, hence, the continuous call to support the journey to equality and empowerment of the young generation to contribute to national development.

The Deputy Attorney was speaking at the 3rd edition of the Annual Leadership Conference organised by the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) on the theme: ‘Breaking Barriers: Women Leading the Charge in New Frontiers.’

It celebrated the progress made in advancing gender equality while recognizing the work that remains.

The Conference was used to graduate 65 women from Cohorts 5 and 6 of the flagship Female Future Programme (FFP) and ushered into the Female Future Alumnae Network.

The FFP Ghana was launched in 2019 by GEA in collaboration with the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), to bridge the gender gap at top leader
ship positions.

The programme consists of three modules, namely Leadership Development, Rhetoric and Board Competence aimed at ensuring the full utilization of female talents in organizations.

She said the programme had successfully graduated 275 participants in all to become better leaders to have influence and negotiate successfully in the boardroom and beyond.

The Deputy Attorney-General said the programme empowered the growing number of women to assume leadership roles, amplifying their voice and perspective.

Ms Dapaah said the government would continue to create an enabling environment for businesses to strive and was committed to upholding the rule of law and providing equitable access to justice for individuals, organisations, and the business community.

She called on men to be allies of women and joined forces with them in the pursuit of the gender equality agenda because the fight was a collective effort.

She said women were not competing with their male counterparts, rather it was a cognition
of the peculiarities and importance of what both genders brought to board to achieve the optimum goal.

‘By dismantling gender norms and cultivating inclusivity, you can shatter the constraints of societal expectations and stereotypes for a brighter future for everyone,’ she added.

The Deputy Attorney General called on all to believe in the transformative power of female leadership to come together to create a world where women and girls have access to education, opportunities, and resources.

Nana Dr E. Adu-Sarkodee Afriyie, the Acting President of GEA, said the world was changing faster than ever before, and the ongoing struggle for equal opportunities and representation for women in leadership positions required bold strides, diverse perspectives, and innovative solutions for women by women themselves.

He said in recent times, ‘We have seen that women bring different experiences, perspectives, unique talents, and ideas to the table, and make irreplaceable contributions to decisions and policies that work
better for all.’

The Acting President said it was against this backdrop that GEA instituted the Annual Leadership Conference in 2022 to periodically bring together leaders from various institutions and at different levels to deliberate on issues about women and specifically on policies that support the elevation of women to a higher echelon of leadership.

He said the conference would help speak to the critical need to increase female representation across all sectors of the economy.

He said since 2019, the Programme has trained and empowered up to 275 women to take up senior roles.

He urged the graduates to apply extensive knowledge and skills to enhance their careers and support their organizations for the collective good of the economy.

He called on business leaders to incorporate the development of female talent into their strategic plans.

Madam Kari Halvorsruel, Representative of NHO, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise said Ghana was one of NHO’s key partner countries and together with GEA, t
hey have made great strides despite the challenges the country had faced.

She said the women had demonstrated exceptional dedication, resilience and leadership and they were breaking barriers, challenging the status quo, and paving the way for future generations.

‘Their success stories are a testament to the power of this programme and the potential within each other participants,’ she added.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mothercare International School, in collaboration with Makers and Partners (MAP), an accountancy firm, have joined the global community to commemorate the Green Ghana and World Environment Day by planting 150 trees in Accra.

The exercise, which took place at the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Critical Care and Emergency Hospital, aimed at creating awareness about planting to enhance efforts to mitigate climate change impact.

Environmental destruction continues to be a major challenge for many countries, leading to worsening climate impacts, which in the long run threatens the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Asirifi Boakye, the Headmaster of Mothercare International School, underscored the need to encourage children to cultivate the habit of tree planting at home and in the communities to facilitate climate action and ease ozone layer depletion.

‘In the curriculum, we have methods of sustaining the environment, so what is being taught in the classroom we expect them to have a practice and i
mplement this in their homes and communities, and also how to sustain the trees, which are being planted’.

Mr Boakye commended the Okyehene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, and other chiefs for their role in the fight against the degradation of the environment, adding: ‘As a school, we are here to honour the call to plant trees’.

Mr Wildred Neneh Addico, Partner at MAP, touched on the importance of sustaining the environment, emphasising that, as a business one of its service-line includes Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG).

He reiterated the Firm’s commitment in ensuring that they regularly monitored and nurtured the trees to grow to help protect the environment.

Mr Addico advised builders and developers not to clear trees on their lands but rather work around them; saying, they serve an important part in the ecological system by taking away carbon dioxide.

He said the talk about climate change and global warming had to do with the omission of carbon dioxide into the environment.

‘That’s why we a
re seeing sea levels rising, flooding and heat waves; the solution to be able to mitigate some of these things is planting of trees and will urge Ghanaians to do well in planting trees and also protect the trees by not cutting them down’.

Dr Lukman Ahmed Qinan, a Physician Specialist at the GAF Critical Care and Emergency Hospital, highlighted the consequences of global warming and said tree planting was one of the ways to reduce its effects.

He said there were several effects of global warming, particularly on health, and a lot of diseases including heat stroke could spring up because of increasing temperatures, therefore planting more trees would go a long way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Source: Ghana News Agency

More than 85 per cent of trees planted in the Assin Fosu District since the inception of the Green Ghana Programme survived.

Mr Emmanuel Donkor Adjapong, Manager of the Forests Services Division of the District made this known at the Green Ghana Day celebration on Friday at Assin Sibinso in the Assin South District of the Central Region.

Mr Donkor noted that the district’s target of 350,000 trees this year had been exceeded, reaching more than 400,000 seedlings of various species planted in its forest enclave.

This year’s edition of Green Ghana Project is on the theme: ‘Growing for a Greener Tomorrow’.

The project is targeting to plant ten million seedlings across the country.

The District Manager called on state agencies to help curb irresponsible activities such as sand winning and indiscriminate logging that were major causes of deforestation.

He commended all stakeholders, especially the Ghana Education Service, traditional leaders, students and others who participated in the exercise to help resto
re the country’s degraded vegetation.

On her part, Mrs Felicia Ntrakwa Amissah, District Chief Executive (DCE), of Assin South said it was important to plant trees because human lives depended on oxygen from trees to survive adding that, ‘when the last tree dies, the last man dies’.

She charged residents not to cut down trees along the roadside, as it served as a form of shade and beautified the environment as well.

The DCE while acknowledging the efforts of the government and the relevant institutions in protecting the environment, expressed worry over the level of destruction of the vegetative cover through indiscriminate felling of trees and sand winning and called for an end to it.

The Green Ghana Day was first held on Friday, June 11, 2021, with a post-planting monitoring survey, putting the average tree survival rate at 71 per cent with some 23 million trees planted during the year 2021 and 2022 editions.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mrs. Mary Perpetua Kwakwuyi, the Executive Director of Goshen Global Vision (GGV), an environmentally focused non-government organisation, says plans are far advanced to plant 7,000 different trees in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis (STMA) this year.

This will bring to 30,000 the total number of trees planted in the past three years in the STMA, under the Government of Ghana’s Greening Ghana project.

The Green Ghana Project, launched in 2021 by President Akufo-Addo, is a Government of Ghana project aimed restoring Ghana’s depleted forest cover and contributing to the global fight against climate change.

Mrs. Kwakwuyi said this at this year’s celebration of World Environment Day at the Anaji MA Junior High School, in the Western Region.

The theme for the celebration was: ‘Land Restoration, Desertification and Drug Resistance.’

About 300 trees made up of 10 tree species were planted by the students to serve as flowering tree cover, shade and bio-diversity restoration.

Mrs. Kwakwuyi said GGV had planted t
rees in about eight schools and continued to grow the trees by visiting the schools every three months to monitor their progress.

‘After the planting, we give protection and ensure survival rate by introducing black soil to make sure the tree is standing,’ Mrs. Kwakwuyi said.

She said after every three months they would visit the various schools, to measure together with the students, the height and diameter of the trees to observe their growth.

Mrs. Kwakwuyi said it was the aim of GGV together with stakeholders such as the Assembly, Traditional Rulers, NADMO and the Ghana Education Service to contribute to the mid-term development plan of the Assembly by replacing trees that have been cut down.

She said in the coming year, the GGV intends to revive the tree canopy and the greening that has been lost in Sekondi-Takoradi.

‘Goshen Global Vision and other stakeholders want to come together to re-afforest and replant so that the biodiversity that we used to see and the erosion that has engulfed our schools w
ill be restored,’ she said.

Madam Glenda Nana Owu, the Headmistress of the Anaji MA Junior High School, expressed gratitude to GGV for the tree planting exercise in the school.

She acknowledged that the trees have beautified the place thereby creating a conducive and serene academic environment and pledged that the school would continue to nurture the trees to grow.

Mr. Henry Cofie, the Municipal NADMO Director at the Effia Kwesimintsim Municipal Assembly (EKMA), a speech read for him Madam Evelyn Vandyke by the Administrator at EKMA educated the pupils on the importance of trees to humanity.

He asked the school to plant more trees to guard against erosion and flooding.

Nana Ekua Awortwe II, Queen Mother of Anaji, underscored the importance of trees as they gave health and life to humanity and observed that the indiscriminate felling down of trees brought in its wake climate change and its attendant environmental hazards.

Nana Awortwe appealed to the school to join the crusade in planting trees as the t
rees gave protection to humanity.

As part of the celebration, the GGV donated cartons of soft drinks, bottled water and confectionaries to the school.

Earlier, the students flaunted placards with inscriptions such as ‘Plant More Trees to Protect the Environment’, ‘Be the Solution but Not the Pollution’, ‘Plant Trees for US Urban Forestry Project.’

Source: Ghana News Agency

The fourth edition of ‘Green Ghana Day’ will be commemorated across the 261 districts and 16 regions of the country on Friday, June 7.

The Day is set aside to plant trees in degraded forest reserves, and in and around recreational grounds, parks and along medians of roads.

It is intended to restore the degraded landscape and forests cover due to the activities of illegal small-scale mining, timber logging and other harmful environmental practices.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo instituted the Green Ghana Project in 2021 to replenish the country’s forest reserves and since then more than 41 million seedlings had been planted nationwide.

This year’s Green Ghana is being marked on the theme, ‘Growing for a Greener Tomorrow’ with government targeting to plant 10 million seedlings across the country.

President Akufo-Addo and other high-ranking government officials will take part in a commemorative tree planting exercise at Burma Camp in Accra.

Seedlings will be available at the district offices of th
e Forestry Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Speaking at a recent news conference in Accra ahead of the Day, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, said 30 million trees had survived out of 41 million seedlings planted since 2021.

In the maiden edition in 2021, he said, seven million seedlings were planted with 67 per cent survival rate.

In 2022, 24 million seedlings were planted with 72 per cent survival rate, while 10.7 million seedlings were planted in 2023 with 81 per cent survival rate.

The Government had disbursed eight million Ghana Cedis for purchasing of seedlings.

However, he said, both private and public sector institutions like faith-based organisations and the Ghana Armed Forces had also supported with donation of seedlings and logistics to make the exercises successful.

Ornamental plants, fruits and multi-purpose trees like Avocado, Royal Palm, Coconut, Mango, Milletia, Tree of Life, lemon, Acacia and Mansonia will be planted across the c
ountry.

‘We urge you, our friends from the media, to carry the message across, and mobilise our country in support of this noble undertaking,’ the Minister said.

Mr Jinapor appealed to all well-meaning Ghanaians, including traditional leaders, religious and faith-based organisations, ministers, parliamentarians, judges, public servants, civil servants, members of the Diplomatic Corps, and development partners, to once more, support the Ministry to make this year’s exercise a success.

Trees, he said, were indispensable to the health of the planet and the wellbeing of the citizens.

‘Planting and conserving trees is essential for sustainable development and the resilience of ecosystems and human communities.

‘The statement that ‘when the last tree dies, the last man dies’, still holds true today as ever.

‘Let us, therefore, join hands, and green Ghana on Friday, June 7, 2024,’ Mr Jinapor stated.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Mr Daniel Machator, the Oti Regional Minister, has joined hundreds of residents to plant 100,000 tree seedlings as their contribution to the 2024 Green Ghana Day.

The theme for the fourth edition of the Green Ghana Day is: ‘Growing for a Greener Ghana Tomorrow.’

The Minister underscored the importance of the exercise to the socio-economic advancement of the nation and the sustainability of human existence.

With all the development efforts the Government was putting in place, if the environment and the green cover was depleted, no meaningful progress would be made, he said.

He acknowledged the ravaging impacts of climate change on the earth with the environmental challenges that threatened humanity.

The Minister led a team from the Regional Coordinating Council to plant trees at the Dambai College of Education Demonstration School, Dambai Health Centre, Lakeside Primary, Wankayaw Primary, English and Arabic School, Oti Senior High Technical and Kwame-Akura Basic School.

Mr Machator called on Ghanaians t
o rise to the occasion to plant more trees and nurture them to grow to support the nation’s aggressive drive for afforestation and reforestation for sustainable environment and social development.

Mr John Adu-Boffour, the Municipal Forestry Officer, reiterated the need to plant more trees to save the environment from the adverse impact of climate change.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Youth Wing of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide has lauded the Senate for ensuring that the Bill seeking to establish ranches at herders’ states scaled the second reading.

Mr Chukwuma Okpalaezeukwu, the Acting National Youth Leader of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, made the commendation during an interactive session with newsmen in Awka on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the bill was sponsored by Sen. Titus Zam (APC- Benue North-West Senatorial District).

It passed through the second reading on Wednesday.

It is entitled: ‘A Bill to Establish a National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation and Control of Ranches Throughout Nigeria; and for Connected Purposes, 2024’.

Okpalaezeukwu said that the bill would serve as an antidote for the perennial clashes between farmers and nomadic herders.

He described farmer-herder clashes as a recurring crisis that had claimed lives and property and affected the country’s economy.

According to
him, the establishment of ranches will control and manage the incessant and unnecessary crisis.

‘The basic responsibility of any government is to protect the lives and property of its citizens and open grazing is detrimental to it.

‘Rearing of cattle is not an ethnic phenomenon, it has become a matter of national security and not something to be sentimental about.

‘There are many countries that produce more cattle and do other dairy businesses than Nigeria but do not encounter such crisis, and that is because they do not engage in open grazing.

‘We urge Nigerians to consider ranching as a viable option at this critical time,’ Okpalaezeukwu said.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria