The Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) has signed a contract with the Faculty of Natural Resources of the University of Development Studies (UDS) for the latter to undertake an audit of the total number of trees planted by ACI Construction and Restoration Limited.

A statement issued in Accra said the audit is to inform SADA on the actual number of trees planted by ACI Construction and Restoration Limited and will be a basis for a possible renewal of contract between the two entities.

The Authority had early on entered into a contract with ACI Construction in August 2012 to engage 5,000 individuals from the SADA Zone to plant five million trees in the Northern and Upper Regions as well as the Northern parts of Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions under the SADA Afforestation Project.

ACI is deemed to have planted over 5,000,000 seedlings and has replaced (at its own cost) the few trees which got burnt due to bush fires.

The statement says with the quality of expertise and the aid of the GPRS devices being used by the Faculty of Natural Resources of the University of Development Studies the audit of trees planted will soon be ready.

That will determine whether the contract with ACI Construction limited which ended in July 2013 will be renewed.