The Forestry Commission has allayed fears that the government may not achieve the 20 million target, set for the planting of trees in the 2022 Green Ghana Project.

Environmental NGOs including A-Rocha Ghana, have expressed fears that the government cannot mobilize and plant 20 million seedlings.

They attribute it to the lack of transparency during the 2021 Project, the reclassification and de-gazetting of the Achimota Forest, as well as the handing out of the Atewa and Nyinahin Forests for Bauxite mining.

Speaking to Citi News, the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, John Allotey explained why the 20 million target is achievable.

“This year, the 20 million tree planting has been spilt into two phases. 10 million is going into forest reserves that will add to the forest stock. Then the other 10 million will go to improve our landscape. The places have been prepared in the forest reserves. We have the seedlings ready, and we are going to plant more of the indigenous timber species in the forest reserves.”

President Akufo-Addo announced plans by the government to plant an additional 20 million trees this year in support of the Green Ghana Project.

According to him, the depletion of the country’s forest reserves mandates all Ghanaians to play an active role in tree planting.

”The fight against climate change must be a fight against deforestation and forest degradation. Even though we in Africa are the least contributors to climate change, with Africa contributing 4% of global emissions, we are determined to do our part to combat it.”

“It is for this reason we launched the Green Ghana Project last year as part of an aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme. With your support and enthusiasm, we exceeded our target of 5 million to 7 million trees on the maiden launch. This encouraged us to even do more. I am informed that all these trees are doing well.”

“We have increased the target this year to at least 20 million trees. This would mean mobilizing the entire population to ensure that each Ghanaian and each foreigner resident in Ghana plants at least one tree.”

He entreated everyone to get involved in the fight against climate change.