GREENING GHANA @ 50

GREENING GHANA@50

And the felled trees started rising again standing on their stumps….That was how craftily Peter Heller ended his shorter version of the award winning film, “Jungleburger”. It is about how in the name of greedy fast food chains including McDonald are fuelling the destruction of tropical forest in Costa Rica to create pastures for beef cattle.

But in reality, no magic can make felled trees in Ghana stand on their stumps again. When Ghana turns 50 as an independent country, on 6^th March 2007, five million trees would have been five months old. Belinda Laryea, who is co-ordinating an ambitious national programme dubbed “Greening Ghana Initiative, GGI”, says she hopes that Ghana can become green again.

The five million trees cannot however replace large tracts of forests lost over the years through logging, bush burning and mining. In the 19^th century the southern half of the then Gold Coast was completely covered by hardwood forest. Documented figures say by the year 1995 however, such large portions of forests had been destroyed and only 39.7 per cent of the entire country remained forested. From 1990 to1996 more than 1 point three percent of the country’s forests continued to be lost every year.

Belinda, a holder of an MSc in Natural Science Management from a University in the Netherlands says “Greening Ghana Initiative” aims at using the golden Jubilee as a focal point in to resuscitate and restore Ghana’s natural environment to its green and lush state. The Greening Ghana Initiative has not attracted much media attention. Would it? According to Mike Anane, an environmental journalist, environmental issues appear not to be very “sexy” to the Ghanaian media. He said an editor once told him that. If you doubt it, Just take a cursory look at the papers and listen to the radio and watch the television. Environmental issues if they are in the news at all, are put on the back burner.

There are no jingles yet on the radio announcing the GGI. If there are I haven’t heard any yet. The day I saw full page advertisement in some papers announcing that GGI initiative was 17 days away for the event. The day has now been shifted back for another week. But the first run of the ads the launch of the project had to be shifted back for another. Reason? To allow for more participation, Belinda explained.

Maybe this would enable the GGI to intensify its media campaign in a country where not all national exercises attract much participation. Local government elections for example contested on non partisan basis woefully attract an average turn out of 30 percent. Apart from 1996 and 2002 polls where turn over was over 40 per cent the rest have been around 30 per cent according to an Accra based Think Tank, the Centre for Democratic Development. It is a different story altogether in Presidential and Parliamentary elections contested on the tickets of political parties where turn out is around 78 and 84 percent.

Though tree planting and district assembly elections are different activities they may have something common. They are national exercises which require acting locally. In the cities it is difficult for people to act locally. With our cities and towns growing larger, it appears most people are not thinking or acting locally. Would the tree planting exercise be effective in our towns and cities that are becoming nothing but concrete jungles? Perhaps. Belinda says making groups the driving force behind the GGI would make a difference.

Nearly 3000 schools from basic to tertiary levels in the country have already been invited to take part in planting of the trees.

In her modern-looking office, Belinda receives several calls through her advertised mobile phone. She told me the calls are enquiries about the tree planting. At least people are enthusiastic about planting trees.

And she is very optimistic about the tree planting. And she is full of hope. She punctuates her words with the mannerism “I hope, I hope…”. So, Belinda hopes that if GGI can mobilise 100,000 groups across the country with each planting the symbolic 50 trees at sites chosen by the groups, Ghana can become green. Suggested areas the trees are to be grown are parks, schools, churches and mosques. The groups will chose the type of trees they want. I would suggest to my village and others plant fuel wood in addition to ornamental and fruit trees. These could be useful to many communities who depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking.

Tree planting is not new in Ghana. Many tree planting initiatives have failed because of lack of care for the young seedlings. Goats and sheep ate up the unprotected young seedlings. Some shrivelled away because of drought. Human beings also destroyed them because of disregard for the environment.

Belinda pointed out that in sustaining the GGI, a competition would be held each year on nurturing the seedlings for at least five years.

On the supply of seedlings, she said a number of organisations including Ghana Chamber of Mines, the British American Tobacco have pledged to provide them. The seedlings will be supplied to the groups free of charge. Some of the seedlings are also to be bought from private sources.

Appeals are being made for corporate bodies and organisations to sponsor GGI. Tools for digging, mesh for protecting the seedlings , t-shirts for volunteers and all what go into into planting trees. Belinda nearly forgot to make provision for water tankers to carry water to some of the planting sites to douse the seedlings to be planted on the first Greening Ghana Day on the 28^th of this month. The rains have not been falling, as they should. The immediate backlash is rationing of electricity because of the low level of the man-made Volta Lake. Environmentalists think tree planting will make a lot of difference in the life a nation that is turning 50. I am ready for the first Greening Ghana day. Are you?