Accra, May 5, GNA - Kick Malaria Out of Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization, (NGO) with assistance from the Ministry of Lands and Forestry, is to plant about 100 million tree seedlings throughout the country.

This is to commemorate the centenary birthday of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana's first President. Keep fit clubs, religious organizations, market women and other civil society organizations would take part in the exercise, which begins on Saturday, May 16 to September 21, the birthday of the former President.

Mr Kwabena Osei Bonsu, Chief Executive of the NGO said this when he launched the programme in Accra on Tuesday. He noted that the able leadership of Dr Nkrumah, which had contributed immensely to the development of the country and Africa, should be immortalized and one way of doing this was to plant trees, which would serve as a befitting memorial and help protect the environment.

Mr Osei Bonsu noted that Ghana's forest cover, which was about 8.2 million hectares some years ago had reduced and continued to dwindle and appealed to Ghanaians especially school children and students to embrace the tree planting exercise. He urged the country's political leaders to emulate the example of the first President to initiate programmes that would benefit the country.

He said the legacy of Dr Nkrumah was worth being honoured and immortalised. Mr Osei Bonsu expressed the hope that the exercise would serve as a unifying force for the country's development.