Samuel Abdulai Jinapor (NPP-Damongo MP), Lands and Natural Resources Minister-nominee has promised to plant annually 100 million trees.

He explained that this is an approach and strategy to increase Ghana’s forest cover which has been affected by the activities of galamsey operators over the years.

“I am looking forward to having the opportunity and if I get the opportunity, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources should be able to come up with a program, where once in a year and preferably on June 5th which is World Environment Day, the President of our Republic will lead a tree planting exercise, the president will plant a tree.

“Hopefully, the Asantehene, His Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, will plant a tree, hopefully, His Majesty Ya Na Abukari II, the Overlord of Dagbon, will plant a tree and Mr Chairman himself also will plant a tree in Parliament and about say 5 million of Ghanaians will plant a tree,” Samuel Abu Jinapor outlined his ambitions to the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Wednesday, 24 February 2021.

Haruna Iddrisu, the Minority Leader, asked about how many trees Jinapor intends to plant in a day, to which Abu Jinapor said:

“I think we should be able to plant 100 million a year, but let me put a caveat which is that, these are my ideas, this is my reflection. They are subject to cabinet approval and in some cases, they will be subject to parliamentary approval, so I may think it is a brilliant idea, I may go to the cabinet and it may be shot down so the buck will not stop with me but I think it’s a noble idea, I think it will help.”

He observed that he was inspired by some initiatives by the Ethiopian President’s vision to plant millions of trees across Africa’s second most populous nation due to the negative impact of climate change especially in relation to droughts in parts of the country.