The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region, Simon Kweku Tetteh accompanied by the district director and staff of the Assembly on Friday, June 9, 2023, as part of the 2023 ‘Green Ghana Day’ undertook a tree planting exercise at some locations within the area.

Based on the theme, “Our forest, our health,” the municipality as part of this year’s exercise joined the rest of the country in planting some 1500 trees on the day across the area.

Mr. Tetteh while symbolically planting a tree at the Akro Senior High Technical School where this year’s event was held noted that it was President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s dream to restore Ghana’s forest cover lost over the years to its original state, adding that the municipality was targeting planting some 10,000 trees throughout the year.

He said, “…in this municipality, we hope that we’re going to plant over 10,000 trees from cash crops to maybe any other tree that’ll provide shade and would be economical to the local area or the country,” asserted the Assembly Chief.

He charged the students of the Akro Senior High Technical School to adopt the habit of tree planting and refrain from deforestation.

“As students you must emulate this example, when you go home, wherever you are, let’s make sure you protect the trees, don’t destroy them because you know the advantages of having trees around…let’s rather protect the trees that we’re going to plant today,” he urged them.

Adding that the tree planting exercise would continue until the end of the year, he urged members of the public to join the exercise by contacting the district office for their free supply of seedlings for planting.

Ophelia Boakye Mensah, Range Manager of Lower Manya Krobo explained that the choice of the Akro Senior High School for this year’s event stemmed from its greenery environment and the Assembly thought it prudent to add to its scenery.

Underscoring the need for the tree planting exercise, she described the president’s initiative as very important due to its role in the survival of humanity.

“This government initiative is very important. As they say, when the last tree dies, the last man dies so it’s important to plant trees for them to give us oxygen and also replenish the environment so it’s important to replace trees that have been cut,” she emphasized.

The range manager and staff of the forestry commission, the district director and some staff of the local Assembly, the police commander, the headmaster of the school in charge of academics, and some students of the Akro Senior High Technical School took turns to plant the trees.

Similar exercises were held in the other six districts that form the Somanya political district of the Forestry Commission including Okere, Akuapim-North, Yilo Krobo, Upper Manya Krobo, Asuogyaman and Akropong Districts.