The Mayor of Kumasi, Hon. Kojo Bonsu, on Wednesday 21st May, 2014 , officially launched the Kumasi Urban Forestry Project at the forecourt of the Asokwa Police Station in Kumasi.

The tree planting exercise, dubbed, “Me And My Tree”, with the slogan, “Let’s Green Kumasi” aimed at engaging school children and households to plant over one million trees along drive ways, ceremonial routes and open spaces in the metropolis by the year 2017.

Performing the Launching Ceremony, Mayor Bonsu said the project launch marked the beginning of what he termed as green revolution to green Kumasi and restore it to its past glory as the Garden City of West Africa.

He said school children who performed well in the tree planting exercise under a competition for schools in the metropolis would be rewarded with educational materials and computers.

He said the planting exercise had taken off along the Asokwa Interchange, Anloga Junction and 171 trees had already been planted.

Mayor Bonsu expressed the gratitude of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the German International Technical Co-operation (GIZ) for their support to the project.

He used the occasion to appeal to corporate bodies as part of their social responsibility to come to the aid of the Assembly in its quest to green Kumasi.

The Ashanti regional Minister, Hon. Samuel Sarpong, in an address read on his behalf commended the KMA for the project describing the exercise as laudable and worthy of emulation by all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Region.

He said government attached great importance to the country’s forest cover hence the protection of national parks and ecosystem in Ghana.

The Regional Minister said Ghana’s food security was linked to the country’s flora and existing forest lands and therefore emphasised the need for environmental sustainability which he said was in tune with MDG 7 on environment.

The Metro Co-ordinating Director, Mr. Solomon Asiedu, in his welcome address lamented the loss of Kumasi’s beautiful flowers and trees due to degradation of the environment.

He said the tree planting exercise was the immediate solution to the degradation to restore Kumasi to its Garden City status.

The launching ceremony which was attended by students from some junior high schools and senior high schools in the metropolis was graced by the Amakomhene, Nana Adu Mensah Asare, who chaired the ceremony, the Asokwahene, Nana Febaannoah II, some Zongo Chiefs and Hon. Assembly Members in the metropolis.

The Bank of Africa donated 100 seedling sheds while Melcom Ghana Limited also donated 100 seedling cages and a cash of GH ¢2,000.00 towards the planting exercise.

The Mayor of Kumasi together with the Asokwahene and representatives of the Regional Minister and the Regional Director of Education as well as Master Michael Twumasi, a JSS student did ceremonial planting to officially signify the commencement of the project.