President Akufo-Addo has declared Green Ghana Day an annual event to be commemorated by Ghanaians on June 11, in ensuring the country’s forest cover and the environment at large is protected.

"We are gathered here today for a historic ceremony. The commencement of Green Ghana Day, a day that has been set aside to plant some five million trees across the country.

"It is an ambitious initiative and we will make the necessary efforts to sustain it. God willing, this event will be an annual one and planting targets will be reviewed upwards every year," he stated.

He made the announcement on Friday, June 11, at the Jubilee House where he planted a tree to support the planting of 5 million nationwide.

A moringa seed that signifies the tree of life was planted by the President to mark the birth of Ghana's forest cover recovery.

According to the President, this decision is an assurance that the project undertaken by his administration is not a one-day event but a continuous initiative to ensure the survival of the five million trees planted today.

"We intend to enhance ongoing aforestation programs and see to the sustainable exploitation of our forest resources. I assure the Ghanaian people that government is determined to ensure the survival of the five million trees being planted today."

To President Akufo-Addo, the country cannot procrastinate efforts to overturn the devastating nature of its forest zones, hence the very important decision to halt the operations of small scale miners; a policy intervention to see to the protection of forest reserves.

"There is an urgent need to reverse the trend and restore our forest resources as much as possible back to their original state. We do not have tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to do this. We have to act now.

"Government is determined to restore the lost forest cover of our country. Indeed, we are doing so through a number of policy intervention. The attempt to regulate and sanitize the small scale mining industry is one such to help keep our forest cover and reserves intact," he explained.

He, therefore, called on all and sundry to throw their weight behind government and "embrace the Green Ghana initiative introduced by government and being driven by the energetic and youthful Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinabor."