Audit, Tax and Advisory Firm, KPMG, has planted about 2,500 trees in the Chipa Forest Reserve in the Greater Accra Region to mark this year’s Green Ghana Day held on June 9.

The Firm has also made additional budgetary allocations to take care of the trees next year in line with its drive to help conserve the environment for a healthier planet.

About 45 staff from the Firm planted the trees that included mahogany, teak, and acacia species.

KPMG has committed funds to the afforestation of 2.5 hectares of the Chipa Forest Reserve.

Motivation

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, the Lead Partner of the Planet Pillar of KPMG’s Global Impact Plan, Mr Ekow Annobil, emphasised the firm’s commitment towards the global effort at mitigating the adverse impact of climate change.

On why KPMG decided to partake in the event, Mr Annobil explained: “we are here as part of our Firm’s strategy aimed at impacting positively on the environment through the planting of trees that has the potential of contributing towards the reduction of excess carbon in the atmosphere caused by the incessant burning of fossil fuels. As a Firm, we are also committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2015 Paris Agreement that seeks to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030,” he said.

Mr Annobil, in his introductory remarks, also admonished the team of over 45 staff of the Firm, who were extremely poised and energized for the occasion, to take the opportunity to make a difference in the environment.

“I encourage each and everyone of you to take this tree planting exercise seriously and consider same as one of the many initiatives being rolled out by our Firm as part of the global effort at fighting climate change”, he stated.

Activity

Before the KPMG team arrived at the location, the field had already been prepared by officials of the Forestry Commission of Ghana.

Many of the holes for planting had been dug with wooden pegs well positioned by each hole to achieve a proper alignment of the trees when planted.

Seedlings of the tree species were then placed advantageously by each of the holes to make planting of the tree seedlings easy for the team.

Before actual planting begun, an official of the Forestry Commission took the KPMG team through a short illustration of how trees are planted. Excited about the whole event, the over 45 enthusiastic KPMG staff planted all the seedlings that had been made available with many of them wanting to do more.

Asked whether this would be KPMG’s last tree planting exercise, Mr Annobil stated that the Firm has a long-term goal of participating in more tree planting exercises in the future.

“We have plans to afforest other depleted forest reserves just like we have done here in Chipa. Next year, we will like to visit other locations to ensure we leave a positive footprint on the planet. This is our response to the global call for action,” Mr Annobil added.