Founder and Executive Director of Eco-Africa Network, Mr. Worship Joshua Frimpong is of the position that the Green Ghana Day initiative launched by the government should be taken seriously to effectively tackle climate change in Ghana.
Mr. Frimpong’s take is preceded by the Ministry for Lands and Natural Resources’ announcement of the 2024 Green Ghana Day, slated for June 7th in Tamale, Northern Ghana; the initiative aims to plant 10 million trees nationwide.
This year’s event marks a continued effort in the fight against climate change, with over 43 million trees already planted since the initiative’s inception in 2021.
There have been discussions about whether Ghana is genuinely taking measures to confront the global challenge of climate change, and it has seen a resurge ahead of the fourth Green Ghana Day celebration.
In an engagement with Univers News, Mr. Frimpong, described the Green Day initiative to be highly encouraging and a serious objective as it will help to address issues pertaining to national climate.
“As a climate advocate and the leader for Eco-Africa Network, I find Ghana’s Green Day initiative to be highly encouraging and an important program, and the objective to plant 10 million trees this year.”
While underscoring the positive impacts this initiative will have on the nation, Mr Frimpong also expressed some reservations, citing the need for assessment of the initiative’s goal achievement.
“Admittedly, with its benefits, we will be able to prioritize climate change mitigation and undertake effective forest restoration, leading to community advantages. This could indirectly contribute to sustainable economic development through forestry.”
“Nonetheless, I believe it’s crucial to assess whether we have achieved our objectives in the past, especially considering that we have successfully planted 10 million trees in recent years and are aiming to increase this number to 52 million.”
He elaborated that the focus extends beyond mere tree planting to include the careful examination, nurturing, and monitoring of the trees as they progress through their stages of growth and maturity.
According to Mr. Frimpong, the discussion should revolve around what occurs after the trees are planted, as the yearly planting may appear to only replace the trees lost in previous years but also impacts public finances.
Eco-Africa Network is a climate organization in Ghana that is championing the course for climate advocacy, through advocacy for a sustainable environment and commitment towards realizing the United Nation SDGs
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Story by: Abdul Razak Wahab | univers.ug.edu.gh
