Ghana to celebrate ‘Green Ghana Day’
Ghana is set to celebrate Green Ghana Day today.
Established as part of the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources’ ambitious reforestation efforts, the inaugural Green Ghana Day was held last year on June 11, 2021, during which seven million trees were planted. This year’s theme, “Mobilizing for a Greener Future,” calls for collective action from all citizens across the country. Ghana’s rainforests are being deforested at rapid rates due to a combination of land-clearing for cocoa farms, mining and illegal logging.
In 2021, the Ghanian foresting sector generated nearly $127 million. Despite being one of the former leading timber exporters in the world, major losses in forest cover forced timber processors in the country to import lumber from neighboring countries. Between 2019 and 2021 alone, Ghana lost over 118 square miles of primary forest.
To recover Ghana’s lost forests, President Akufo-Addoh intends to plant 20 million trees at the upcoming Green Ghana Day. Ghana will have to couple this project with decisive action against illegal mining and logging, which are often met with impunity. Despite these efforts, Ghana is unlikely to directly confront deforestation at the hands of cocoa farms, who constitute the country’s primary food export.
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