Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Chieftaincy Minister, fills a planted seedling with sand, whilst the chiefs look on
The Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, has called for concerted efforts to preserve the Dodowa Forest to make Ghana’s vegetation cover healthy for posterity.
The Minister made the call when he joined the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs at Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region to mark this year’s Green Ghana Day.
The theme for the 2023 Green Ghana Day was “Our Forests, Our Health,” with the goal of planting a minimum of 10 million trees nationwide.
Preserve trees
The Minister said the way to go was to preserve the existing trees and plant more to achieve the needed desire. He warned the public to stop encroaching on the forest for the needed preservation for the younger generation.
The Minister further urged the people of Dodowa to cultivate the habit of tree planting to augment the existing ones, “saying it’s high time indiscriminate cutting down of trees is avoided to pave more space for trees to flourish”.
According to him, thick forests provide places of abode for animals and play a crucial role in precipitation. “The rain we see is all from the forest, hence the need for some acreage where they can rebuild the Dodowa forest in order to create an enabling environment for generations yet unborn to see the significance of the Dodowa forest”.
He added that it is imperative to rebuild the Dodowa forest, especially when “we look forward to being given a reasonable acreage. Such efforts, he stressed, will conserve the forest for the benefit of the younger generation.
Dodowa forest
Mr Asamoah Boateng appealed to the traditional authorities and the good people of Dodowa to allow the government to secure a reasonable acreage for the purpose of rebuilding the Dodowa Forest.
For his part, President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, noted that the Dodowa forest had for many years gained international recognition, which needed to be maintained.
The President of Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, Aadegbon Ngmongmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, also urged the public to adhere to the call for the protection of the forest.
He charged his subjects to support the government’s Green Ghana Campaign as a means of protecting the country’s trees and making room for the conservation of forests, particularly the Dodowa forest.
He bemoaned that it was unfortunate that though human beings needed trees to survive, their activities were depleting the forests.
About The Author
