Opinions of Friday, 28 April 2023

Columnist: Egya Doughan Ajumako

Is the green Ghana Project another chop chop

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (left) and Nana Akufo-Addo (right) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (left) and Nana Akufo-Addo (right)

The Akufo Addo/Bawumia government initiated a program called Green Ghana of which trees are planted across the country through the district assemblies and the forestry commission.

This program became necessary when the government realised the felling down of trees through the operations of illegal mining termed Galamsey. This activity has caused this country so bad that our reserved forests have also been affected. Almost 60 to 75% of our forests reserve have been destroyed www.icirnigeria.org/how-illegal-mining-is-wiping-out-ghanas-forests/
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It is clear that this very government has no interest in fighting this Galamsey menace but rather have keen interest in wasting our resources through the Galamsey act because there is much evidence available to prosecute people indulging in the galamsey businesses.

Our water bodies are nothing good to write about. www.myjoyonline.com/fact-finding-the-true-state-of-river-ankobra/

The government started the Green Ghana Project in the year 2021 with seven million (7million) seedlings planted across the country as told by the Minister of Land and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor and published by abusinessnews.com on the June 29, 2022 when the minister gave an account to the media what went into the 2021 program. The minister said the budget allocation made for the plantation of the 7 million plants was 12.8 million Ghana Cedis.

In 2022, the government executed the same program with the allocation of 6 million Ghana Cedis of which they planted 22, 671,696 seedlings as it was published by graphic.com.gh on the June 13, 2022. The question is, why do we spend more when planting fewer plants and rather spend less when planting more trees?

I know it's only the gods that can answer this question.

2023 is here and the government has allocated GHC 2.5 million to plant 10 million seedlings but as we speak now the government has been able to get only 7.5 million seedlings as published by myjoyonline.com on April 26, 2023 and the program is to kick start in June.

The question remains, why do we spend more and plant less but rather spend less when planting more?

Still, the gods are in a good position to answer.

Who is holding this ministry and the minister accountable?

Who even monitors to see the well-being of these trees to motivate the government to continue spending that much on this program?

Wouldn't it have been prudent to invest these monies into our education sector instead of wasting our resources?

The government has allocated a whooping amount of 21.3 million Ghana Cedis into this program which I strongly believe will not achieve just 12% of its target set to benefit in afforestation regain.

I hope you are aware that our wards in schools are still not having textbooks for learning.

What are the priorities of this very government?

Is it not that they just sit down to roll up a program that will end up making them rich and richer?

Is this the Ghana Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Jerry John Rawlings and others died for?

Sad.