Accra: Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has called on the public to participate in a national campaign aimed at tree planting and nurturing, with the goal of making Ghana green again. He emphasized the critical role of the Forestry Sub-Sector in the national economy and highlighted the ongoing challenges of deforestation and forest degradation that threaten the nation's ecological balance.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Buah spoke at the Government Accountability Series Press Conference held at the Presidency in Accra. He detailed strategic actions undertaken by his Ministry to address these environmental issues, including the Tree for Life Restoration Initiative. This flagship initiative, launched by President John Dramani Mahama, aims to restore degraded forest reserves and mined-out areas, transforming them into ecologically functional landscapes.
Mr Buah noted the significant impact of the initiative on the government's environmental restoration agenda. In 2025 alone, approximately 31 million seedlings were planted, with success rates ranging from 50-78% in the northern savannah zone and 65-85% in the High Forest Zone. This resulted in the restoration of around 23,600 hectares of degraded landscapes.
Building on this success, the Ministry has maintained a planting target of 30 million seedlings for this year, with activities commencing on June 5th and continuing through the end of the rainy season. To support this effort, the Forestry Commission has engaged and deployed 2,719 Youth Forest Champions. These individuals are actively involved in various activities, including nursery operations, seedling production, site preparation, tree planting, plantation maintenance, wildfire prevention, and the protection of forest reserves.
Mr Buah expressed appreciation to corporate Ghana and other stakeholders for their support in achieving last year's ambitious targets and for their continued efforts in the current year.