Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor has urged all Ghanaians to step out and plant a tree during the Green Ghana Day.

Green Ghana Day is an initiative that was launched in March 2021 by President Akufo-Addo through the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources.

It is aimed at planting trees across the country.

According to him, adequate seedlings have been made available at the various branches of the Forestry Commission.

He is therefore urging the citizens to ensure that the trees reach maturity.

“We entreat each one of you to take responsibility for nurturing these trees in your homes, offices and communities for them to go to maturity,” he stressed.

According to Mr Jinapor, 23 million of the trees planted in the first two editions of Green Ghana Day have survived.

Therefore, this year [2023], “we have the opportunity to add 10 million and more trees to this number.”

The Lands Minister said the 10 million target will enable the Ministry to devote more resources to nurture the maturing trees planted in the last two editions of Green Ghana Day as well as those that will be planted today.

He added that the Ministry of Lands through the Forestry Commission will continue to provide support for the trees nurturing.

In a related development, President Akufo-Addo stated that his government remains committed to environmental protection and will actively seek ways to ensure the success of the Green Ghana project.

He emphasised that safeguarding the environment and preserving natural resources play a crucial role in addressing climate change in the country, and it is the duty of every citizen to contribute to these efforts.

“Government will therefore continue to explore all avenues to enhance our forest cover through afforestation and reforestation programme and protect our natural resources through community-based management and conservation initiative,” he said on Friday.

He was speaking at the annual Green Ghana Day tree planting exercise held at the University of Ghana.

Addressing the gathering, the President urged all Ghanaians to plant a seedling as their contribution towards the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources target of 10 million trees per day.

Meanwhile, the Minority Caucus in Parliament is warning the government to ensure that Green Ghana Day is not used as an avenue of exploitation to enrich a few.

According to members of the caucus, such programmes in the past, have been used to siphon money from the state and the taxpayer.