Ho, Jan. 6, GNA - The beautification of Ho under the nationwide Urban Forestry Programme involving tree planting as a component of the HIPC initiative is to start during the next rainy season.

Mr Newell Soglo, Regional Co-ordinator of the Programme at the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday that areas being targeted were open spaces, principal streets and ceremonial grounds.

Mr Soglo said the five-year programme under the auspices of the Ministry of Lands and Forestry involved collaboration among the Department of Parks and Garden, Environmental Protection Agency, Town and Country Planning Department, Survey Department and the Lands Commission.

He said the objectives of the programme were beautification, providing public places for recreation and relaxation, environmental improvement and employment generation.

Mr Soglo said 100 persons had been engaged as field assistants to peg and to plant and nurture the trees to maturity and they would be paid 220,000 cedis a month each with five percent as Social Security Fund. He said people with proven knowledge in agriculture, environment and forestry would be engaged on contract basis to execute the project.

When the GNA visited the Parks and Gardens this morning hundreds of applicants seeking employment had converged on the premises to know their fate.