Many lives depend on trees for oxygen; however, billions of trees are cut down each year. To counter this trend, several nations have initiated tree-planting initiatives. In Ghana, the Green Ghana Project was launched as part of an aggressive national afforestation/reforestation programme to restore the lost forest cover and to contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate change.
In support of the Green Ghana Project, the students and staff of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology planted over 5,000 seedlings in different locations of the Ashanti Region to mark the 2024 Green Ghana Day. Places that benefited from the exercise were Mankranso, Anwomaso Domeabra, and the University Campus and its environs.
The Dean, Prof. B. B. Campion and former Director of the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, Prof. J. G. K. Owusu participated in this exercise at Anwomaso Domeabra. Prof Owusu charged the public to participate and not view the project merely as a publicity stunt.
 "Very often, when people hear that thousands of trees have been planted, they say it is just propaganda, but trees are being planted. Many of them are being taken care of and I think this was an opportunity for me to join upcoming foresters to show them that there is work to be done. I am very glad to be able to join the students and the teachers here. I know that all over the country we are doing some planting, and we will take care of the trees. We need to take care of climate change and use the trees for our purposes", he stated.
Dr. Abukari Nantogma, President of the Ghana Institute of Foresters, praised the government for spearheading this initiative and encouraged everyone to actively participate. "The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources should task the Ghana Institute of Foresters to assess the survival and mortality rates for the betterment and sustainability of this exercise," he noted.
Dr. Nat Owusu-Owusu Prempeh, Head of the Department of Forest Resources Technology and also the General Secretary of the Ghana Institute of Foresters was present to offer technical assistance. According to him,
“human activities, we are losing a lot of vegetation so having this day as the national day when we plant trees is a very welcoming thing. We have been doing this yearly and we believe that this will go a long way to replacing a lot of the vegetation that we are losing. It will help mitigate climate change which we know is affecting farmers and even the livelihood of forest-dependent people. Having this day set aside is a very good thing and we believe that all future and successive governments would get this thing going," he emphasised.
The University's Vice Chancellor, Prof. (Mrs). Rita Akosua Dickson, and the Provost of the College Prof. Dadson Awunyo-Vitor gave their goodwill messages and promised the University’s support for this endeavour.
Also present at the sites were youth groups, such as, AIESEC, Institute for Nature and Environmental Conservation, and the Dziko Centre for Climate Change to lend their support to the cause.
