Osei Assibey-Antwi, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has directed authorities of basic schools to imbue in their pupils and students the habit of tree planting.

Nurturing the concept of nature preservation, especially in the formative years of the Ghanaian child, he said, had become critical in contemporary times due to the incidence of environmental degradation.

According to the MCE, never in the history of mankind had the world been faced with so many challenges relating to the environment, citing urbanization as well as the changing climatic conditions resulting in global warming.

Mr. Assibey-Antwi, speaking at the launch of a tree-planting project at the Martyrs of Uganda R/C Junior High School (JHS), Kumasi, indicated that there was the need for an attitudinal change if the ecology and biodiversity were to be improved.

“It is our responsibility to demonstrate seriousness in activities such as tree planting that would eventually help to recover what has been lost for the sustenance of nature,” he advised.

The project, an initiative of the Central Sector Command of the Cadet Corps and Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), and is supported by the Forestry Commission, is to support vegetation in basic schools in the metropolis.

The first phase of the project is targeting schools, including Adiebeba M/A Basic ‘1’ and ‘2’, Dichemso M/A JHS ‘B’, Buokrom Estate M/A Primary, P.O. Adventist JHS, South Suntreso SDA Primary, and St. Luke R/C Primary Schools.

Others are Army Basic, Station Basic and Bantama M/A Islamic Primary Schools, as well as Bantama M/A JHS and St. Louis Demonstration JHS.

Highlighting the project, Mr. Assibey-Antwi explained that the initiative fed into the KMA’s flagship environmental programme dubbed ‘Keep Kumasi Clean and Green (KKCG)’.

The programme over the last four years had seen the planting of more than 70, 000 trees of varied species in all the sub-Metropolitan areas.

According to the MCE, the underlying advantages focused on restoring to the metropolis its former status as the ‘Garden City of West Africa’, and also inspire the youth to work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15.

The Goal encourages humanity to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managed forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and biodiversity loss.

Mr. Anthony Arkansisi, Headmaster, Martyrs of Uganda R/C JHS, lauded the authorities for the initiative, saying it would contribute significantly to improving the scenic beauty of schools participating in the project.