The President, Nana Akufo-Addo has bemoaned the state of Ghana’s environment.

According to him, we are endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land that our forefathers bequeathed to us. The president made the remarks in his address at the 60th Anniversary parade at the Independence Square.

The president in his speech said there is nothing we [citizens can do than to dedicate the celebration to our former leaders who fought and gained independence by protecting our environment.

He said, ‘’the dense forests, that were home to varied trees, plants and fauna, have largely disappeared. Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as a tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing, and those that still exist are all polluted. It bears repeating that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for generations yet unborn. We have a right to exploit the bounties of the earth and extract the minerals and even redirect the path of the rivers, but we do not have the right to denude the land of the plants and fauna nor poison the rivers and lakes. There is nothing we can do better to pay homage to those who fought to free us from bondage than to dedicate this 60th independence anniversary to protecting our environment and regenerating the lands and water bodies,’’ he added.

President Akufo Addo expressed confidence that ‘’we [citizens] can and will achieve the dreams of our forebears. I am hopeful that we will continue to make ourselves worthy inheritors of this land. I know that we will wear the accolade of being a Ghanaian with pride. Let us mobilize for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realise their potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful. Then, we will have a Ghana beyond aid. ‘’