The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, has warned the public to desist from encroaching on the Dodowa Forest Reserve. According to him, his ministry has taken strong action to safeguard and maintain the forest.
The Minister suggested the preservation of the current trees and planting new ones in order to maintain the original status of the forest.
Mr Asamoah Boateng was a speaking at a ceremony in Dodowa to plant trees in the famous Dodowa Forest, to commemorate the Green Ghana Day, last Friday.
The minister joined in the Tree planting exercise with President of National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II and Teshie Mantse, Gbetsoolo Nii Ashitey Akromfra III at Dodowa.
The minister said: “When I was a child, I heard about the Dodowa Forest. I heard about how it was thick and sacred, how it was properly protected because the trees are lifesaving. But the tale has changed and we need to rebuild the forest”.
The minister said the decision was taken to travel to the Dodowa forest in order to replant trees to replace those that had been lost.
“The forest was wealthy with valuable natural resources, animals and plants and now it’s all gone,” he bemoaned.
He reinstated the importance of the forest, saying it provides shades for animals and the big forests provide the source of water. This, he said, will benefit future generations in appreciating and comprehending the forest. He begged the guardians to protect and care for the seedlings to flourish.
The National House of Chiefs President, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, stated that the Dodowa forest needs to be protected because it had attained international respect.
Because they provide us air to breathe and all the other essential nutrients for life, he believes that the trees planted give us life.
Aadegbon Ngmongmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, also asked the populace to support the preservation of the forest.
Although humans depend on trees for survival, Gbetsoolo Ni Ashitey Akomfa III, a member of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs and Teshie Mantse, who briefly addressed the media, expressed regret that human activities were destroying the forests.
Background
The Green Ghana Day was introduced in 2021, by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo as part of an aggressive national afforestation/reforestation programme to restore the lost forest cover of Ghana and to contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate change.
The maiden edition was held on June 11, 2021 where an estimated 7 million tree seedlings were planted across the nation.It enhance national awareness of the necessity of collective action towards restoration of degraded landscape in the country.
